Norah Jones – Never Too Late
One of the world’s most famous voices returns after almost a three year absence. Not Too Late by Norah Jones is probably one of the most highly anticipated albums of early 2007 and sees her undertaking a bigger role in the song writing process than she had before alongside co-writer and long time band member Lee Alexander meaning the album has a personal and intimate feel to it.
As you would expect with Norah Jones, a lot of the songs are gentle piano based blues numbers. Title track Not Too Late and The Sun Doesn’t Like You both follow the traditional format and are accompanied by perfectly composed string backgrounds making them simply beautiful songs and a platform for Norah to really showcase her unique and amazing vocal talent.
However many of them also have a country influence probably a result of spending time with a number of musicians from her other project The Little Willies. Such songs include Wake Me Up, Rosie’s Lullaby and Little Moon, a cosy stripped down acoustic piece which sounds unedited and recorded in a small room.
As comes standard with modern albums there is a political tune by the name of My Dear Country which speaks of both the good side and bad side of American policies but really captures the spirit of the times. Regardless of your opinions of the state of the world you will find this song captivating.
There are a couple of livelier tracks on the CD such as Be My Somebody and the first single Thinking About You which has the most production on it stands out from the rest of the album because of it’s more pop like sound.
I’m happy to inform that Not Too Late is sure to be a hit especially with fans of Norah Jones’ previous work. With a slight change in direction she may also find herself picking up new fans from the country music scene too. So 2007 is already shaping up to be a good year for Ms Jones
By Craig Evans
