Norah Jones' debut on Blue Note is a mellow, acoustic pop affair with soul and country overtones, immaculately produced by the great
Arif Mardin. (It's pretty much an open secret that the 22-year-old vocalist and pianist is the daughter of
Ravi Shankar.)
Jones is not quite a jazz singer, but she is joined by some highly regarded jazz talent: guitarists
Adam Levy,
Adam Rogers,
Tony Scherr,
Bill Frisell, and
Kevin Breit; drummers
Brian Blade,
Dan Rieser, and
Kenny Wollesen; organist
Sam Yahel; accordionist
Rob Burger; and violinist
Jenny Scheinman. Her regular guitarist and bassist,
Jesse Harris and
Lee Alexander, respectively, play on every track and also serve as the chief songwriters. Both have a gift for melody, simple yet elegant progressions, and evocative lyrics. (
Harris made an intriguing guest appearance on
Seamus Blake's
Stranger Things Have Happened.)
Jones, for her part, wrote the title track and the pretty but slightly restless "Nightingale." She also includes convincing readings of
Hank Williams' "Cold Cold Heart,"
J.D. Loudermilk's "Turn Me On," and
Hoagy Carmichael's "The Nearness of You." There's a touch of
Rickie Lee Jones in
Jones' voice, a touch of
Bonnie Raitt in the arrangements; her youth and her piano skills could lead one to call her an
Alicia Keys for grown-ups. While the mood of this record stagnates after a few songs, it does give a strong indication of
Jones' alluring talents. ~ David R. Adler