Beautiful, wonderfully recorded, and moving, Feels Like Home proves that Norah Jones is not a one hit wonder. Norah Jones is the real thing.
So what’s Norah Jones, acoustic chanteuse, doing on Synthtopia?
Every now and then, even electronica fans need to disconnect from the power grid and listen to some clean, simple, heartfelt music. Norah Jones delivers the goods, just as she did on her previous album, Come Away With Me.
Jones’ sophomore CD doesn’t suck, it’s not mediocre, and it isn’t marred by dreadful artistic ego trips. Jones could have done a Madonna and gone techno. She could have called up her dad, Ravi Shankar, and had him lay down some world beat sitar grooves.
Instead, Jones delivers more songs that make you stop and listen. Her singing is honest and emotional, and the rawness of her voice draws you in. The songs on Come Away With Me won fans of all types, because Jones captures the spirit of her songs, and delivers them with naked truth.
The music of Feels Like Home won’t surprise anyone. Jones goal isn’t to demonstrate how clever she is, but to show how true and meaningful the songs she sings are. The overall sound of her new CD is similar to Come Away With Me, except that it’s a little more upbeat. There is also more of a folk country-roots feel.
“Sunrise” starts off the album. This memorable tune sounds like it would have fit on her last album, but also feels at home here. Townes Van Zandt’s “Be Here to Love Me” is another highlight. It has a roots vibe, but Jones manages to make the song all her own.
Songs like “Don’t Miss You At All” are perfect for Jones. She captures the irony of the lyrics, without sounding ironic:
“As I sit and watch the snow fallin’ down
I don’t miss you at all
I hear children playin’, laughin’ so loud
I don’t think of your smile
So if you never come to me
You’ll stay a distant memoryOut 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 handAnd then I wonder who I am
Without the warm touch of your handAs I sit and watch the snow fallin’ down
I don’t miss you at all
I don’t miss you at all
I don’t miss you at all”
Throughout Feels Like Home, Jones delivers the songs with the same style, feeling and class as she did on her previous album. If Feels Like Home had been her first album, people would be wondering if her second album could be as good as this.