Ladies and gentlemen, the "Grammy New Artist Curse" has officially been lifted.

What, never heard of that curse? It's simple, really. The performer who wins the Grammy Awards for New Artist, usually on the basis of a debut album that wows pretty much everyone (or at least everyone allowed to cast a vote for the Grammys), is doomed to fall flat on their face when following up with a sophomore effort. That's what I've heard. Most years, I don't tend to care much about the awards to begin with, so it's rare that the winning artist even shows up on my radar.

But 2003 was different. That was the year that Norah Jones took home the award. Perhaps the Grammys have begun a trend of favoring young female singers who can play the piano. The previous year, they gave it to Alicia Keys. (Hey, maybe this year they'll give it to Evanescence - except I don't think Amy Lee actually plays the piano. But that's neither here nor there.) In any event, I had actually preferred John Mayer for that award, thinking that he had put out a more cohesive album. And the way things worked out, you'd think John Mayer had actually won the award, since he kind of fell victim to the sophomore slump. But not Norah. She's got a new album, Feels Like Home, ready to release on February 10th, and despite the massive expectations created by a debut that not only earned her the New Artist award, but also managed to make her the top-selling female artist of the year 2003 (despite the fact that she doesn't sing bouncy pop songs or take her clothes off in front of an audience), I can safely tell you that this new disc does not disappoint.

In case you were an ostrich and had your head in the sand for most of the past two years, and therefore don't have the first clue who this Norah Jones chick is, the easiest recap I can give you is that she's known for being a young jazz singer with a sultry voice and a talent for tinkling the old ivories. (That's fancy talk for playing the piano.) She hit it big with the song "Don't Know Why", and the follow-up "Come Away with Me" wasn't too shabby, either. I believe she even scored another winner late in the game with "Turn Me On", which found its way onto the soundtrack for Lust Actually - um, I mean Love Actually. Force of habit. Sorry. And that was all fine - it was unusual to hear low-key, jazz-inflected pop on mainstream radio, and radio these days could use a shot of "unusualness". But what I think a lot of people who didn't have their heads stuck in the sand still didn't realize about Norah was that she had this whole other side to her - the country/folk side. The album Come Away with Me was split fairly evenly between her lite-jazz fare and more acoustic, guitar-based tunes, some of which were unabashedly country such as "Lonestar". Occasionally the two styles merged, but generally, it was one or the other. The album felt disjointed as a result, given that many of the takes were demos to begin with, but with a high ratio of good songs to bad ones, this wasn't too hard to overlook. Still, I hoped for a more cohesive musical mood on Norah's second outing, and for the most part, I seem to have gotten my wish.

Basically, if you liked Come Away with Me, you're probably gonna like this one too. Norah has tried some new things - most notably playing organ on a number of the tracks instead of piano - but this record still resonates with the same sense of warm familiarity that the last one did (even though it was the first thing most of us had heard from her). Aside from one oddball song that drives Norah further into country territory than she's gone before, it's a pretty smooth ride, well-suited for romantic evenings, relaxing in one's bedroom after hours, de-stressing after a rough work day... whatever you used the last disc for, basically. That might get tiresome for some artists, but with Norah it feels like it's not just "more of the same". There are new lyrics to grab hold of me, subtle differences in mood and subject matter depending on the listener's interpretation of the song, a new addition to the musical color palette here and there. Other than the fact that Norah's band never seems to fully open up and bring the songs out of their three-or-four-minute shells (I figure most jazz-based bands would be up for a little extended improvisation now and then), there's really nothing for me to complain about here. Perhaps no individual song grabs me as fully as "Nightingale" or "I've Got to See You Again", some of the more interesting compositions from the last disc. But nothing irritates me, either, which is quite a feat for an artist dabbling in not one, but two genres that I can't usually get into (jazz and country - folk is usually cool with me).

To approach this another way, I think that the value of this new album is greater than that of the sum of its parts, because it feels less patched together and more complete than CAWM did. There aren't any "half songs" that end abruptly. The tracklist flows more smoothly overall, even though the tempo is slightly more varied this time out. And yet Norah hasn't compromised her down-to-earth approach to playing and songwriting. Who needs to when something as unassuming as "Don't Know Why" can make waves so effortlessly? Only time will tell if something from this album does the same - sometimes a certain trick can only work for an artist once. But for those who were hooked the first time around, I'd bet good money that this'll keep 'em satisfied.

Sunrise
Surprise surprise
There was something I could hide
When I see we made through another day...
Mmmm...I love upright bass. That's the first thing you hear when the album gets going - the plucking of bass and the gentle picking of guitars, with a little of Norah's piano trickling in through the gaps. A definite good choice for the album's first single, this might just be the most upbeat Norah song released to the general public thus far. And yet it's got a definite sparseness to it, using Norah's soft, high-pitched "Hooo-oooh"s as the main chorus hook instead of snagging the listener with an obvious guitar or piano line. Like many of Norah's songs, the lyrics sketch their subject rather than offering a full portrait - you get a vague picture of a sunrise that lingers throughout the day, leaving Norah and her lover with a warm feeling.

What Am I to You?
Could you find a love in me?
Could you carve me in a tree?
Don't fill my heart with lies...
The second track brings in a slight air of sassiness as Norah cranks up the old organ, and a slow but steady drum beat keeps a swaying beat, punctuated by the quiet but assertive stroking of an electric guitar. This is Norah's take on the classic "love me or leave me" song - basically she's in love with a guy who she suspects isn't putting his whole heart into this relationship. The song isn't so much a protest as a wake-up call, since basically she's just asking him to define the relationship. I can hear shades of Macy Gray in the chorus, though obviously less raspy since Norah has a much smoother voice. It's probably because the two artists draw from similar influences at times.

Those Sweet Words
All your love is a lost balloon
Rising up through the afternoon
'Til it could fit on the head of a pin...
Hand percussion and an acoustic guitar form the framework for this track, and when the piano chimes in, for some reason I get a mental images of a gentle stream trickling around smooth stones. That has nothing to do with anything - it's just that the music on several of these songs casts a mood all its own before Norah even gets to the lyrics. Subject-wise, this is a pretty simple song, with Norah being in disbelief over hearing someone utter "those sweet words" that indicate his affection for her. It's a pleasant enough tune, though not really a standout.

Carnival Town
Did the clown make you smile?
He was only your fool for a while...
The intro to this slow and vaguely sad song sounds like it's being plucked on a classical guitar. That, along with some mellow violin playing and Norah's graceful piano, make this song a perfect synthesis of her two musical worlds. I've always enjoyed the "carnival" metaphor when it gets used in songs, and while this one seems to work with imagery similar to Natalie Merchant's "Carnival", the musical mood here is more similar to Jars of Clay's "Sad Clown", only quieter. The slowness takes what would have evoked the whimsical mood of a county fair or a three-ring circus, and plays it back in slow motion, as if to take a closer look at the charade and expose it for the cheap entertainment that it really is. Norah's words reflect this, asking a person who attended the carnival if the cheap thrills really brought them any solace, or if they're still as lonely as ever.

In the Morning
My girlfriend tried to help me
To get you off my mind
She tried a little tea and sympathy
To get me to unwind...
I'll admit that I'm a sucker for Norah's faster-paced songs built around the acoustic guitar. Not that she has that many, but "Nightingale" was my favorite from the last CD, and this track appears to be this album's equivalent. Norah gives this song a little more of the "sultry" treatment, though, filling it out with jazzy organ playing, and singing a playful, rhythmic tune about a guy she just can't seem to get over. He's dark, he's hot, and he's addictive... hey wait a minute, she's not singing about a guy, she's singing about coffee! Now I've heard many an ode written to the magic bean beverage, but I have to say that personifying it like this was a brilliant move on the part of songwriter Adam Levy. I love the mention of "tea and sympathy" in one verse where a friend of hers is trying to help her kick the habit (of course that's the title of a song by the same darn band I keep mentioning, who also wrote a song about coffee once, I might add).It's beautiful because if you weren't paying attention (like I apparently wasn't the first few times through), you'd just assume it was about a guy. It works both ways until you realize that the metaphors aren't actually metaphors!

Be Here to Love Me
Children are dancin', the gamblers are chancin' their all
The window's accusing the door of abusing the wall...
This slow, swaying number breaks in rather urgently with Norah's vocals despite its overall relaxed pace. Kind of makes for an odd transition. Anyhow, this is the first of a few covers on the album, originally written and recorded by folk/country singer Townes Van Zandt. Thematically it echoes "What Am I to You?" since its being sung from the perspective of a lover longing for security and assurance that she is loved in turn. The song definitely has an "old country" feel, perhaps mixed with a bit of Southern Gospel (that's what the organ reminds me of, anyway), and in some ways it reminds me of "Turn Me On", though I think I like this one a little more.

Creepin' In
There's a silver moon
That came just a little soon for me to bear...
Here's where Norah temporarily steps out of her jazzy comfort zone and throws us all for a loop. This faster-paced tune starts off with gentle acoustic guitars and rolling drums that immediately make me think of "Feelin' the Same Way", but something's a little off-kilter here in an unidentifiable way. When Norah starts singing about a "big ol' hole" in her shoe, there's no mistaking it - this is a country song. And an old-school one at that. An unexpected guest vocal begins to, shall we say, "creep in" underneath Norah in the first chorus, and by the time she takes over for the second verse, suddenly you realize, "What the heck? That's Dolly Parton!" Apparently Norah was invited to do a duet with Dolly at some point last year, and Dolly returned the favor by accepting Norah's invitation to sing on her album. Dolly manages to infuse the song with a naïve youthfulness despite how long she's been in the country music biz, and strangely, this approach actually works, even if it's almost as bizarre as Johnny Cash singing lead on a U2 song. The song is basically about how things come "creepin' in" that we try to keep out - water into an old shoe, the moonlight into a darkened room, and the memories of an old lover.

Toes
Walked a mile just to find the edge
Some place low enough to step right in
Now I'm here and I can't begin to move...
When I saw the title of this song, I was almost certain that I would hate it. I guess I've been scarred for life ever since I heard Diana Krall singing a song called "Popsicle Toes", which has got to be one of the dumbest songs ever written. I don't know why, I guess it's just hard to write a song with feet as the subject matter without it sounding goofy. Anyway, what Norah came up with here is a smooth, rolling jazz tune about wandering on down to her secret place, a stream somewhere off in the country, and taking a dip in the river. It could be seen as a metaphor for escaping the hectic pace of life and allowing oneself to unwind and not worry for a while. Against all odds, the song is actually quite sublime. Norah seems to have found one of those "magic chords" when she transitions from the verse into the chorus. And there's a sweet, delicate electric guitar solo forming a liquid center for this song's smooth, sweet exterior to wrap around.

Humble Me
Truth spoke in whispers will tear you apart
No matter how hard you resist it
It never rains when you want it to...
A quiet guitar intro is delicately picked out, eventually congealing into a pattern of 6/8, over which Norah sings with little else for accompaniment. This is definitely one of Norah's more heartbreaking songs - she's singing from the point of view of a single mother, wondering how the father is doing and how she's going to get by with his support. The chorus actually takes on a tone of spiritual reverence as she moves from addressing the guy to addressing God, saying "You humble me, Lord", and asking for forgiveness for the mistakes she's made. I love Norah's ability to tell stories with her songs (part of that comes from the fact that everyone in her band contributes to the songwriting). It makes her folksier side believable, because slow acoustic songs that are about nothing in particular can often be quite boring even if the players know what they're doing.

Above Ground
Now I know I'm ready
Pour the night into a glass
Can I sip it slow and make it last?
This one has a lower-pitched guitar intro to it, giving it a smokier atmosphere, and combined with the careful, measured pace of the song, it reminds me of "I've Got to See You Again". Take that song, remove the violin, and add some slide guitar, and you've got a good idea of what this one sounds like. The song seems to be about overcoming shyness and the need to hide "underground". I can't glean much more from it at the moment, but I can say that it's well composed and I really like the atmosphere.

The Long Way Home
I put food on the table and a roof overhead
But I'd trade it all tomorrow for the highway instead...
Another cover song shows up here - this time Norah is doing a "reading" (that's what they call covers in the jazz world, right?) of a Tom Waits song. Interesting that she's focusing more on folk/rock artists than jazz artists with her cover songs this time out. The lazy, loping bass line that bounces between two distinct notes within each measure reminds me a lot of something you'd expect to find at the end of a more traditional country album, and at this point I have to admit I'm kind of missing Norah's piano. It's a sweet song of devotion, telling a lover that fame and money aren't as important as sharing the comforts of home with him, but despite the lyrics, the song isn't making much of an impression on me.

The Prettiest Thing
So why does it seem like a picture
Hanging on somebody else's wall?
Lately I just haven't been myself at all...
Aha, here's another piano based song! The low-key intro paints a picture of a darkened room, which is perfect for the opening verse, which describes a gloomy thundercloud as being something "pretty". Norah describes a few other things in this way that strike me as rather ordinary, and I think what she's trying to communicate here is a sense of longing for home, even if the weather is dull and the house is run-down and rusty. The latter half of this album has been exceptionally low-key, but this song is still a brighter spot on the album because of the moody atmosphere that it creates.

Don't Miss You at All
Out my window, I see lights going dark
Your dark eyes don't haunt me
And then I wonder who I am
Without the warm touch of your hand...
Now, if I knew a darn thing about jazz, this last track might strike me as a bit too precocious for Norah's own good. She's taken an instrumental tune by Duke Ellington, originally titled "Melancholia", and written lyrics to match the piano melody. The slow, quiet number is entirely centered around Norah, with no other players in the mix, and it kind of sets up an ongoing tradition for Norah, since "The Nearness of You" closed the last album pretty much the same way. Norah's lyrics about being by herself and supposedly content seem to fit with the musical mood, though I'm probably not fit to judge that since I don't know anything about the song's history or its intended context. Anyway, I think I like this one better than that one, despite the lack of adherence to rhythm and the lonely note that it ends on.

It'll be interesting to see whether Feels Like Home ends up generating the same sales figures as its predecessor, though something in my mind tells me that's doubtful. I mean, you can only stay on the top of the pyramid for so long, no matter how cool and/or talented you might be, since the industry is fickle. Norah's style was new to a lot of us two years ago, and a lot of us who liked it will probably be up for some more, but truthfully, since any potential "singles" from this record would likely be more subtle than what was released from Come Away with Me, it's kind of a shot in the dark. I'm glad that Norah stuck with her guns, though, even if it means she stays near the top of the heap instead of actually topping it. She might have to vary things a little if she wants to stick around too much longer - not in terms of volume or speed, but more in terms of complexity. I think that would propel her beyond just the status of having a lot of good songs that people can relax to, and establish her more as an artist and performer. But then, it's kind of nice to see her continuing on her path so humbly, still amazed by how her first album performed, and not feeling like she had to follow up with some sort of a grand, self-important musical statement. So I'm kind of torn on what I want Norah to do next. But I'll enjoy what she's given us in the meantime.

ALBUM WORTH:
Sunrise $1
What Am I to You $1
Those Sweet Words $.50
Carnival Town $2
In the Morning $2
Be Here to Love Me $1
Creepin' In $1
Toes $1.50
Humble Me $1.50
Above Ground $.50
The Long Way Home $0
The Prettiest Thing $.50
Don't Miss You at All $1
TOTAL: $13.50

CONCLUSION: It's on par with her last one. Worth buying at sale price.

Website: http://www.norahjones.com
(http://www.cshvof.com/norah/ was also helpful for getting the complete lyrics)


Recommended: Yes

Great Music to Play While: Romancing