Rant n' Rave With John Nagle

I really want some Starbucks right now.  A tall latte with a blueberry muffin the size of my face would be awesome. I can set up my laptop in the corner and flirt with the modestly hot bookish girls who come in and out.   The new Norah Jones record would waft in and out of my consciousness as I basked in the corporate suburban classiness of the shop.  Everything would be A-OK.

Ms. Jones has foiled my little plan. The Fall is a departure from the demure light jazz that sold millions of records.  Norah Jones has gone electric.  The piano has been replaced by guitars and electric organ. The drums are more prominent.  The music is melancholy and less inviting.  The intimacy is still there, but there is some distance. The songs are about love, but instead of the idyllic beginning, The Fall deals with the conflicting emotions of longing and loss.   The Fall sounds like a Norah Jones record, but it doesn’t.

The voice is there.  Norah’s voice is soft, soothing, sultry and lovely. She never oversteps her boundaries with unbelievable feats of vocal gimmickry.  Her voice just moves with music, rising and falling with the notes.  This is the kind of voice that I usually fall for, but not this time, Jones is a great singer, especially in a genre that isn’t known for great singing.  However something is missing in her voice.  It’s almost too polished.  A little bit of grit would distinguish her from every other female singer song

Some fans might be turned off by the louder sound of this album, but it was a smart move.  She went as far as she could go with her old sound, and the electronic instrumentation gives her a breath of fresh air.  “Even Though” sounds like it came from the hallowed halls of American Recording Studios in the late ‘60s.  It’s a great slice of neo-soul, with a prominent bass line and a distant guitar riff.  “I Wouldn’t Need You” is much slower, bringing back the spare arrangements of her debut.  Norah’s voice is deep, and low with a slight tinge of regret. She sings over a soft rockabilly guitar that guides her through the list of things her lover does so well.  You can almost detect a hint of a smile on her face as she talks about her lover holding her.  She has been telling herself she’ll be OK, but she doesn’t really believe it.

The Fall is a transitional record for Jones, and it’s a good one.  Her first couple albums branded her as an adult contemporary artist. This is a way for her to maintain her popularity with that market, while expanding her audience.  This slightly edgier direction really works, and hopefully she’ll expand on it with her next album.

Note: This is Thanksgiving week, so unfortunately the blog will be neglected.  I’ll post as much as I can.  Have a good one guys!