The word of the day is "chanteuse". Can you say that with me? "Chaaaan-TEUSE." I knew you could do it!

I don't know why, but when discussing the hot young sensation known as Norah Jones, critics always feel the need to use the word "chanteuse". That word and her name were forever bound together in my memory before I even knew what the word meant. Turns out that Merriam-Webster defines the word as "a woman who is a concert or nightclub singer". And I suppose that's a fair definition of what you'll hear on Ms. Jones' debut record, Come Away with Me, though there's no need for there to be an implied audience. What we've got here is a great voice and some stylistically well-rounded players weaving their way through 14 gentle and seductive songs that - an audience to impress isn't a necessary component for these jazz aficionados to have a great time doing what they do best.

Yep, I said jazz. Bet you jazz purists out there are cringing, because once again, I'm stepping into a genre that I know relatively little about. So I'll get it out of the way early - Come Away with Me is not strictly a jazz album. The musical brains behind this piece of work must've known that I prefer jazz as a seasoning rather than a main course, because the album features a fairly sweet blend of jazz with light pop, acoustic folksy stuff, and even a little country. (OK, so the country doesn't work so well, but you can't blame a Texan for trying.) Fortunately this hybrid spirit doesn't mean we've got another Kenny G on our hands - in fact, there's nary a horn to be found on this sleepy little disc. What we get is a yummy light snack with sprinklings of acoustic guitar, gentle electric notes here and there, some good old upright bass and gently brushed drums to serve as a rhythmic anchor, and of course the ivory tickling skills of Ms. Jones herself. That and her gold-tinged vocals are enough to make this album an easy sell for someone like me who supposedly doesn't like jazz.

But wait, there's more! Another thing that makes this album different from your usual jazz album is a very large focus on Norah and her bandmates Jesse Harris (guitar) and Lee Alexander (bass) as songwriters. That brings a very artist-driven, song-oriented spirit to what could have otherwise been a routine collection of jazz standards or a lengthy instrumental detour off into Snoozeville. The songs generally stick to the tried and true topic of love won and love lost... but there are a few that do so in interesting, interpretive ways. All of these ingredients, plus the perfect timing, were enough to catch the ear of a young music critic looking for a different flavor to spice up his music collection.

Now, this being Norah's freshman album, it shouldn't be surprising that there are a few awkward moments. She's pretty successful at creating songs that are all-around pleasurable to listen to, and I can relate to many of them on a lyrical level, so looking past the two songs that I'm often tempted to skip and the overall slow pace of the disc (which is actually a pro when you're in a certain frame of mind), I'd have to say the album's biggest flaw is basically that it's a glorified demo. Don't get me wrong, it sounds complete in terms of the production, but a lot of the songs seem thrown onto the disc in a not-so-well-thought-out, "Let's show 'em the various things Norah can do" sort of manner. For the first half of the album, it pretty much goes like this: Jazz song, folk song. Jazz song, folk song. You get my drift. It doesn't really flow, especially when a number of the songs are short and end abruptly enough to make them sound like unrelated commercial jingles. Probably not something you'll notice if you're one of the types who would buy this recording to set a special "mood" when setting up a candlelit dinner, but being an artist who deserves more of our attention than that, I think Norah could stand to have a little more continuity the next time out. But other than that and the occasional skimping on lyrics (which is easily overlooked due to some tasty instrumental passages), Come Away with Me is an invitation I'd gladly accept.

Don't Know Why
Out across the endless sea, I would die in ecstasy
But I'll be a bag of bones, driving down the road alone...
Alright, so it might be cliché to open an album with the first radio single, but I have to admit, I appreciate the warm familiarity of those bright opening guitar notes, brushed drums and characteristic high piano notes that trickle into the consciousness like drops of water. This breezy little number transports you immediately into Norah's private nightclub, her voice neither whiny or angry even though she's lamenting getting a case of cold feet and effectively standing a guy up on the night of what could have been a hot date. Despite the fact that someone tainted this song for me with their interpretation of the line "Don't know why I didn't come" (thanks for that!!!), I have to admit I can relate to Norah's reticence. She fears that it will make her an old maid if she can't kick the habit - hey, at least one woman understands that it's not always good to exercise her divine right to make a man wait. It took me a while to fully appreciate this song, but getting a little peek under the hood at its complicated chord progressions was part of what sweetened my listening experience on this one. It's a complex tune in a way that sounds deceptively simple.

Seven Years
Crooked little smile on her face
Tells a tale of grace that's all her own...
The first mood shift comes early on the album, when the nightclub suddenly vanishes and gives way to a wide open prairie, with a deftly fingerpicked acoustic guitar leading the way and a little bit of slide guitar giving the music a bit of a country feel. This is the sort of story song that the Dixie Chicks might write in one of their more contemplative mood. It paints a vague picture of a little girl doing what little girls do best - living in a fairy tale world to escape the difficulties of real life that she doesn't understand yet. It's musically tasty and lyrically interesting, if a bit out of place, and I suppose I'm a bit miffed that Norah doesn't even get to play on this track, but I won't count it against her since her voice is an instrument unto itself, wrapping around the little girl like a warm blanket. (Maybe that little girl was her at age 7?) The song ends only two and a half minutes in, which makes it barely escape "interlude" status before the band brings back the jazz factor.

Cold Cold Heart
There was a time when I believed that you belonged to me
But now I know your heart is shackled to a memory...
I love this song. I know all jazz albums have to have their "standards", and I can't name a single jazz standard that does much of anything for me, but if this Hank Williams cover counts, then I'll make it the first item on my list of "Jazz standards that I like". It's got a resonating bass like that dances around playfully while Norah's piano flirts with it, and the song's interesting melody (I think there's a weird seventh chord in there somewhere) gives Norah plenty of chances to melt her lover's cold, cold heart. The lyrics are, once again, something I can strongly relate to, as a frustrated but well-meaning lover asks her man what happened to him in the past to make it so difficult for him to let go and trust that she only has the best of intentions. Sometimes we get all screwed up emotionally and think the opposite sex is out to get us. How anyone could think that about Norah is beyond me... but things get weird when you've been hurt before.

Feelin' the Same Way
Another day that I can't find my head
My feet don't look they're my own...
And we're back to the countryside again! This is the first song that truly sets the album in motion, its acoustic backdrop setting a brisk pace for a calm Sunday drive or something like that. Rather than pining away over a distant lover, this song gives Norah a chance to get all existential on us and wonder if there's any meaning to the same things that she keeps doing, day in and day out. This song is appropriately repetitive (without being annoying), because it's all the same stuff over and over, and she's "singing the same lines all over again". Perhaps it's an appropriate song for a performer who must play the hits at each concert, but I've actually heard that it's about a hangover. Norah, you naughty girl! No more wine before beddie-bye for you. I like how this song trails off at the end instead of closing up too quickly on a resolved chord like some of the others do.

Come Away with Me
I want to wake up with the rain falling on a tin roof
While I'm safe there in your arms...
The record's title track has apparently been another hit for Norah... I can't say if it was as huge as "Don't Know Why", but it's certainly one of my favorites. A gentle roll of the cymbals ushers in a "misty" sort of song where single bass notes and Norah once again uses the high end of her keyboard to great romantic effect. This song has the word "tryst" written all over it, as Norah beckons her lover to join her on a retreat where they can be in their little bubble, far away from anyone they know who would seek to jolt them out of their bliss. It's one of the simpler songs on the album, musically and lyrically speaking, but it's also one of the sweetest, with Norah's invitation sounding less overtly sexual and more based on a need to simply have that special someone close to her as she falls asleep at night and wakes up the next morning.

Shoot the Moon
When the snows come rolling through
You're rolling too, with some new lover...
Even though this song is slow, there's something about the way the guitar is plucked here that reminds of me a party taking place under the stars. You know, one of those Old West parties where the townspeople would come out and do square dances and eat pie and play carnival games and stuff? Yeah, I have an overactive imagination. Anywho, as you probably guessed, we're back in country-land again, and I can picture Norah dressed up as Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman or something like that, pining away over a summer fling that she never got over. Have you ever played Hearts? You know, the card game where the objective is not to collect any hearts or the queen of spades. Well, if you "shoot the moon" in that game, it means you've actually collected all of those cards, and your opponents get penalized with 26 points each instead of the points going to you. What it sounds like here is that Norah went for broke, came up short, and scored a bit fat 25. (Don't you hate it when that happens?) She fell for a guy but he was just bluffing, and he was gone come autumn, only to return in the winter with a new young lass at his side, just to add insult to injury. She thinks he's lying to himself and still wants her, and she can't understand "the reason why we had to each be lonely".

Turn Me On
My hi-fi is waiting for a new tune
My glass is waiting for some fresh ice cubes...
Starting here, the album takes a few left turns into musical territory that doesn't excite me as much. This one's another cover - it was written by some guy named John D. Loudermilk - and it's basically a string of semi-clever metaphors that are used to describe a lonely housewife who apparently has nothing to do other than wait for her honey to come home and turn her on. It's got a sexy tone to it, but there's an organ underpinning the whole thing, and something about the way Norah romps across the keys in this one gives it a churchy sort of feel that seems at odds with the song's inherent sexuality. Not that I think spirituality and sexuality can't mix, but in this instance I want it to either be Saturday night or Sunday morning, you know? (See Over the Rhine for a more effective mix of these two elements.) By the time the song suddenly flickers and dies out after the last "turn me on", I'm left wondering if I just listened to a brief ad for light bulbs.

Lonestar
I pick up a stone that I cast to the sky
Hoping for some kind of sign...
Judging from the title, you just know this is gonna be a country song. And if you disregard the awkward pacing, the folk/country/jazz hybrid tunes we've heard so far were actually pretty darn good. But this one just annoys me - it's old-school country in that Patsy Cline sort of way (or at least that's the name that comes to mind - I know even less about old-school country than I do about jazz!), and it paints a picture of a lazy old cowboy poking along through the brush, with nowhere to call home. It's probably meant to be an ode to the state where Norah spent much of her life, but aside from a little bit of slide guitar, this song appeals to me about as much as your average forty-person town with one main street and two lampposts along a desert highway in the middle of nowhere. And there's that annoying organ again. Well, at least the town has a church!

I've Got to See You Again
I could almost go there, just to watch you be seen
I could almost go there. just to live in a dream...
Now here's a sweet, feisty little number. An ominous piano intro gives way to another gentle bass line, but this time there's a slightly sinister, naughty tone. The song bumps along like a private tango lesson, with a melancholy violin adding a definite sense of yearning... are you trying to seduce me, Ms. Jones? In fact, I think she might be. There's a "forbidden" tone to the whole thing, as if the person she loves is more like a decadent addiction than anything else. I love the way that this song slowly ruminates on one chord at a time, even pulling off a slick change from F minor to F major when leading into the bridge. Little musical bits like that just make my day! While the two songwriters are very different, I would have to compare this tune to Vienna Teng's "Unwritten Letter #1", since she also happens to be a piano-based songwriter who threw together a tango-styled tune from out of nowhere.

Painter Song
We'd be there together, just like we used to be
Underneath the swirling skies for all to see...
Just when you were expecting another flashback to the Old West, instead we get sent on a leisurely ride down the French Riviera. Just what the heck is going on here, Ms. Jones? No matter. She may want to be a painter so that she could get her point across more succinctly with a beautiful work of art, but in actuality, this sweet song gives a good enough impression of the scene she envisions - candlelit table, private boat somewhere in the French countryside, hired gun musician coaxing some beautiful music out of his accordion while the two lovers savor their food and stare into each other's eyes. I half-expect Norah to start singing in French... oh wait, that was what happened in that embarrassing Shania Twain song "I Won't Leave You Lonely". Sorry, I had the wrong woman there.

One Flight Down
The reeds and brass have been weaving
Leading into a single note...
Now that we've been wined and dined, Norah has seen fit to take us back to her place, slip into something more "comfortable", and saunter down the staircase serenading us. That's the picture I get as she sings her slow, descending verses and authoritatively hammers out each piano chord. This little song seems dedicated to having a neighbor who is blissfully unaware of the volume at which their music is being played. Apparently the faint notes drifting through the wall only serve to sweeten the atmosphere - is it real, or just an imaginary soundtrack that plays in one's head upon realizing they've fallen in love? I'm not sure, but I like Norah's imagery. I wish a better conclusion came of it than simply "Now you know", because it's as if the couple had interrupted their makeout session to have an argument over which song it was... and we all know I'm the only one here obsessed enough with music to completely ruin the mood with such a conversation.

Nightingale
Does it seem like I'm looking for an answer
To a question I can't ask ...
I find it interesting that the two songs Norah wrote all by herself for this project are my favorites. "Come Away with Me" was enchanting on the simplest of levels, and as for "Nightingale"... well, it's a different endeavor altogether. Anchored to the jazz world by Norah's lilting piano, this song is generally more of an acoustic pop affair, and like the titular bird, it takes flight wonderfully, thanks to the gentle percussion that gradually gives the song some much needed momentum. Heck if I know what Norah is singing about, other than some vague questions about her destiny, but that acoustic guitar intro is one of the most memorable ones I've heard in a while - I just love how carefully each note is picked out. The most surprising thing about this song is that it's entirely based around three chords - D, A, and G. I would never expect such a beautiful song to be built upon such a simple foundation, but it's a real testament to Norah and Jesse and how they noodle around with those chords. The track almost becomes a delicate jam session, and that's the one thing this album could have used to breathe life into some of the shorter tracks. At 4:12, it's sadly the second longest track on the disc ("I've Got to See You Again" beats it out by a matter of mere seconds).

The Long Day Is Over
The wind is gone, asleep at dawn
The embers burn on...
This Harris/Jones collaboration feels like a bit of a sequel to "Come Away with Me" at first due to its slow, understated 3/4 beat, but it's really more of a gentle ode to the soul of the working woman than a depiction of a romantic tryst. The most lyrically minimal song on the album (all of 9 lines!) still does an adequate job of encouraging us all to light a few candles, sit back in our chairs, prop our feet up, or maybe even draw a nice hot bath, and simply breathe a sigh of relief because we've got some much-needed "I time" and no one's gonna take that away. Musically it's not the most impressive thing on the album, but I like how the simple electric guitar notes ring out and the whole song creates such a serene mood. (I suspect more cynical critics who prefer their music loud and proud will be thinking "The Long Album Is Over!" at this point, but I digress.)

The Nearness of You
I need no soft lights to enchant me
If you'll only grant me the right to hold you ever so tight...
It's easy to tell that the album's final track (which Norah showed up to play during a key scene in the comedy Two Weeks Notice) is a cover of an old-school jazz tune - it's one of those slow, piano driven tunes that makes use of dramatic pauses to get its gentle, romantic words across, sometimes sacrificing any sense of rhythm or connectedness in the process. As such, it's not one of my favorites - maybe it's got a little more "class" than I can handle because it reminds me of a dinner or reception where everyone's far better dressed than I've ever been... but I still think it was a good move to end the album with Norah flying solo, paying tribute to those who had gone before (and I'm sorry I can't pinpoint exactly where this tune originated, it's been covered by a number of singers).

I can tell that Norah's going to be in a bit of a quandary when working on her second album. She should definitely go for more of a sense of continuity - and perhaps she and her band would've done so if they'd had any idea how many people would end up hearing an album partially populated with actual demo takes. I can't fault them for deciding that a certain mix was just fine the way it was - if it ain't broke, don't fix it. At the same time, that whole "let's take what we've got already and go with it" approach only seems to work when breaking a new artist - after that, your audience generally expects things to be more thought out. So will Norah keep the stylistic variation, but somehow manage to weave it all together more cohesively? That's my biggest hope, too. Will the band let loose here and there and capture a few moments of "taking it where it goes", giving Norah a little more room to show off on the keys? That'd be nice, too - as long as it doesn't go to ridiculous extremes. Will they continue to experiment with the sounds and textures that their instruments afford to them? I hope so. Norah seems to have the power to bend a more "traditional" genre into something that simultaneously possess artistic merit and oodles of crossover appeal, much like Nickel Creek has been doing with their cross-pollination of bluegrass and Lord knows what else.

To be honest, though, as long as Norah keeps it subtle, sweet, and sexy, and doesn't go "pop", I don't much care. This may be wishful thinking, given the track record of past Grammy-winning "New Artists"... but I can always hope!

ALBUM WORTH:
Don't Know Why $1.50
Seven Years $1.50
Cold Cold Heart $1.50
Feelin' the Same Way $1
Come Away with Me $2
Shoot the Moon $1.50
Turn Me On $0
Lonestar $0
I've Got to See You Again $2
Painter Song $.50
One Flight Down $.50
Nightingale $2
The Long Day Is Over $.50
The Nearness of You $.50
TOTAL: $14

Website: http://www.norahjones.com

Recommended: Yes

Great Music to Play While: Romancing