Album review – The Fall by Norah Jones

Norah Jones can’t really be classified as a jazz artist, though her breathy throaty voice immediately reminds one of the best of sensual jazz vocalists. In her new album, Jones takes a further step away from jazz without converting all the way to pop. While some condemn forever to being the background music at Starbucks, Jones has always been willing to show her various influences including jazz, country, alternative, and rock ballads (Jones, unbelievably, also has a punk band called El Madmo).

Jones has an entirely new band for the album as well as a new producer. The resulting sound is a little darker, more honest, and a bit more emotionally tired than her previous three albums. Chasing Pirates is a toe-tapping number about not being able to sleep because of thoughts of her crush. Light as a Feather starts out wonderfully, with loneliness, care, and seduction but by the bridge it disappears into easy listening. Young Blood, while lyrics heavy, pounds with rhythm and thumping guitar to say goodbye to a past lover – “You wrote letters you never sent, I made promises I’ll always deny, Now we’ll never know what the other meant. And Man of the Hour wraps up the album with the potential of new found love and a return to a bluesy sweet style while the singer has to choose “between a vegan and a pothead” but ultimately chooses her loyal dog as the only love that won’t make her cry.

Jones is more experimental in this album, but experimental for her never means going too far from a comfortable easiness. Making her various influences unite under the cover of her own likeable and listenable style – being popular without being pop – is Jones’ niche, which she continues here. True, you won’t be blown away by any stunning musical solos, you won’t have the hook of the chorus stuck in your mind, and teenagers won’t be making any of the songs their ringtones. But you’re likely to please all by playing this album at your next dinner party and you’ll be tempted to take it on your next trip anywhere as music to travel by. While soft and sometimes predictable, The Fall never becomes music to do accounting by. In fact, you’ll most likely invite someone to slow dance the evening away.