Norah Jones has sold millions of albums and established an acting career, expanding her musical offerings in new ways. Touring with ensembles across Zoom and recording an album for Herbie Hancock are just some of the ways Norah Jones stays creative in music making.
Little Broken Hearts saw her step outside of her musical comfort zone to address romantic turmoil, creating a cohesive statement that stands up against classic heartbreak albums.
Come Away With Me (2001)
At a time when top 40 radio had mostly moved on from jazz and on to singer/songwriters of the 1970s and classic country music, Norah Jones brought her soft yet yearning debut Come Away With Me into play. Ten million sales and multiple Grammy awards confirmed her elegant renderings were met with open arms from listeners everywhere.
Recorded under producer Craig Street (Cassandra Wilson, Manhattan Transfer and K.d. Lang) and legendary producer Arif Mardin (Aretha Franklin, K.d. Lang and Bill Withers), Norah’s album showcased contemporary jazz, folk rock and Great American Songbook standards that quickly made her an instant star. Two years later came Feels Like Home followed by her first movie role Blueberry Nights; since then she has sold over 26 million albums worldwide while garnering five Grammy awards!
Feels Like Home (2004)
Feels Like Home saw Jones branch out further from her jazz background than Come Away With Me had suggested, with songs that are bluesier and gritty-sounding than those found on Come Away With Me. Furthermore, Jones showcased an extraordinary ability to partner with influential musicians – Danger Mouse, Daniele Luppi, and Lee Alexander all played on this album!
Norah Jones may have done well with her album, yet critics still believed her performances to be slow and repetitive despite their success. That is unfortunate as Norah is truly gifted artist that can hold her own against Britney Spears, Xtina or any other pop singer out there.
She continues to charm listeners with her stunning vocals and soothing rhythms, even taking on some jazz standards like Duke Ellington’s obscure instrumental, “Melancholia,” which she successfully transforms into “Don’t Miss You at All”.
Begin Again (2008)
Begin Again saw Jones experimenting with new sounds such as synth pop and rock. She collaborated with producers such as Max Martin and Jeff Bhasker who helped her move away from her country-leaning comfort zone.
This album is so captivating, you could barely call it an “earworm”. Listening to this music makes you wish you were part of the recording session rather than simply enjoying it from home.
Norah Jones is a multi-GRAMMY winning singer/songwriter and enjoys making music with people, which inspired her to start a podcast for that very reason. Each episode finds Norah in studio with one or more guests for spontaneous musical collaborations and candid conversation; often producing unexpected results that are surprising, fun and often unexpectedly creepy!
Foreverly (2013)
Norah Jones achieves this artistic ideal with poise and grace, masterfully weaving poetry into her songs while crafting innovative musical textures that move listeners deeply.
After her acclaimed debut album Come Away With Me, many questioned if Jones could replicate its success with her follow-up, Feels Like Home. But she did so, with newfound focus.
At her urging, she brought together bandmates and songwriting collaborators to produce an album which would be darker, thornier and more sonic than what had made her famous – with great success, reaching number two on the charts and including a duet with Billie Joe Armstrong. Following this success came Day Breaks – her sixth solo release.
Day Breaks (2016)
As with her 2002 debut album Come Away With Me, Jones once again joined forces with co-producer Eli Wolf and jazz musicians for Day Breaks. Its rhythmic but not necessarily loud nature speaks directly to adult contemporary audiences while Tom Moon praises its return to nuance while celebrating Jones’ roots.
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