My Blueberry Nights is notable not only as the first English-language film by director Wong Kar Wai but also for the acting debut of
Norah Jones. It's surprising, then, that the soundtrack only includes one song from
Jones, "The Story," the only new song on the set and one that
Jones has stated reflects her doubts about becoming an actress. It's not appreciably different than anything else
Jones has recorded to this point, a slow, jazzy ballad featuring her moody vocals and piano in a trio setting. As for the rest, it's an appealing mix of R&B (
Mavis Staples,
Ruth Brown,
Otis Redding), jazz (
Cassandra Wilson), a couple of
Cat Power tunes, and the ubiquitous
Ry Cooder, who always makes any soundtrack worth a listen. ~ Jeff Tamarkin