Much like pop music of today, jazz has certainly become just as diverse in scope and sounds. Jazz "purists" would probably consider Norah Jones' music to be more soul, pop, and even country flavored than jazz. But, this is truly the beauty of "Come Away With Me". Jazz is the primary feel or sound that I take away from this recording (I can easily compare some of these songs to the style of Diana Krall). It's a great treasure to discover this remarkable singer/ pianist.
Most of the tracks on this release were done in a minimilistic approach. Jones's voice and piano firmly in the center of the mix; subtle acoustic guitar, drums and bass the main sound in the background. The opener, "Don't Know Why", is one of the more memorable songs on the cd and is a good example of this approach. Jones voice isn't very deep, but it has a nice smokey and breathy quality. A beautiful song about regret, the lyrics are sung with a lot of passion; "When I saw the break of day, I wished that I could fly away. Instead of kneeling in the sand, catching teardrops in my hand.". "Come Away With Me" features some dynamic guitar work from Adam Levy that almost gives you a sense of country or blue grass. Jones' cocktail lounge piano playing compliments the guitar very well. As the cd goes along, the soundscape of the material starts to get much more diverse in nature. I think this was intentional, and it's done to great effect. "Shoot the Moon" reminds me of a Sarah McLachlan song. Jones' multi layered vocals is higher in tone than most of the other songs. "One Flight Down" is one of the more "bluesier" numbers on the release. This time, strings and hammond organ are added to the arrangement. This song, among four others, was written by guitarist Jesse Harris. Since Jones wrote very little of the material on this cd, this is probably a crucial relationship in the chemistry of her sound. The cd finishes off with a nice Hoagy Carmichael number; "The Nearness of You". Coming around full circle, this track just features Jones' vocals and slow piano playing with some very romantic lyrics; "...and I feel you so close to me. All my wildest dreams came true. I need no soft light to enchant me. If you would only grant me the right to hold you ever so tight...". This is true early era romantic jazz, and I really don't know why anyone would argue with this fact.
This cd is probably not for everyone, but the diversity and range of this recording should draw plenty of people to check this great recording out. With touches of many influences, I'm sure that there is plenty for many people to enjoy about Norah Jones. She's still young and new at recording, but this should be the beginning of a very promising career for her.
