I swear Norah Jones has been around longer than a decade. Maybe
that’s because her voice sounds like it comes from another era. She's
thirty-three, but is an old soul, many say. There's no doubt about it,
she's got the voice, and she's got the looks. I actually recall
declaring her once as my future ex-wife. Not her most glaring
accomplishment, but impressive nonetheless. It's taken some time, but
she also has a presence on stage that's very comfortable, charming, and
down to earth - all of which were exhibited last Friday night when I saw
her perform live for the first time - "Is that really Norah Jones up
there...twenty-five feet away?"
“I don’t know why I
didn’t come,” Norah Jones sang, understandably causing a fan to belt out
a, “Hey-oooo!” - at the thought of... Jones stopped the song to say, “I
know what you think it means.” That was Jones showcasing her sense of
humor that she used throughout Friday night’s show at The Bell House in
Park Slope, Brooklyn - "I live here too," she said. This was one of her
interactions with the crowd that was not seen in her earlier and much
more bashful days.
Norah Jones is now on tour upon the
release of her fifth solo studio album, Little Broken Hearts, produced
by Danger Mouse (who?). A star since the early 2000s, it is a rarity to
see her live for only thirty-five bucks a ticket, and in a modest sized
venue such as The Bell House. If you were quick enough to jump on your
computer last Tuesday at noon to purchase tickets during your lunch
break, or simply chose to ignore job duties for a moment, then you could
have been a part of the sold out crowd.
Jones
performed mostly songs from the new album, but also mixed in some older
and more familiar songs like Don’t Know Why, which includes the lyric
above, and was the single from her debut album Come Away With Me (2002)
that garnered her five Grammy Awards. She now has a total of nine
Grammy Awards, and is one of the best-selling artists of all time.
Little Broken Hearts was released May 1, and now is positioned at #2 on
Billboard’s 200 Chart (Billboard.com).
Many critics
say this album is a departure from Jones’ previous albums. Sonically,
she has shifted, much to do with her not pinned behind her piano like
earlier in her career. She’s playing some guitar these days, which you
could tell at the show she isn’t 100% comfortable with yet, as she kept
looking at her fingerers. It’s still nice to see her try something new
though. Then comes the Danger Mouse effect. His influence is
definitely heard. He has a producer’s touch that makes songs catchy,
yet they are not pop songs. Another example of this is his work on The
Black Keys' latest, El Camino.
Jones’ lyrics have
also become more personal, and Little Broken Hearts has been declared
her break up album. On track 11, Miriam, Jones sings, “You know you
done me wrong/ I’m gonna smile when you say goodbye/ Now I’m not the
jealous type/ Never been the killing kind/ But you know what you did/ So
don’t put up a fight.” And, on track 2, Say Goodbye, she sings, “Well,
it ain’t easy to stay in love/ If you can’t tell lies/ So I’ll just
have to take a bow/ And say goodbye.” You can sense a wise-ass,
sarcastic tone in these lyrics, and others throughout the album. Yet,
there is some venom in the words. Love hurts, right? But, can make for
good music too, and Jones has made another good album.
When
fans heard Norah Jones was teaming up with Danger Mouse, they
rightfully became excited. It’s possible they were hoping for that
departure. This leads us back to Jones' voice, and the fact that this
wasn’t much a departure at all. On all her albums, including Little
Broken Hearts, her voice never wavers. Her voice is great, and I heard
my real future wife say, "She sounds even better in person." This may
be true, but wouldn’t many of you like to hear her belt a few notes
out? Maybe even yell once? Nobody is saying Jones should be making
music for her fans. A better way to see it might be that her fans feel
like her best work has yet to come.
Jones
was hardly a disappointment though. It’s apparent she’s a professional,
and gives performing her all. There were a few humanizing moments too,
and they made you like her even more. She began a few songs, and
stopped, “Why do I keep messing up the words.” Then jumped right back
into performing.
We established Jones’ voice comes
from another time; and possibly a simpler time when cell phones didn’t
block the view of the stage. That was the disappointment of the night.
There’s a hesitation in calling much of the crowd fans because too many
paid more attention to the Internet (everything not happening in their
lives) than to the artist on stage. A concert, or a night out in New
York City, is supposed to be an experience; however, it must be
difficult to remember something when you aren’t fully engaged. Snapping
a few pictures is fine, and video too, but there has to be something
wrong with checking your Facebook during a concert. That’s my future
ex-wife up there; give her some respect!
Respect is
the word. At a Norah Jones’ concert you will see generations. There
were people in their seventies (maybe older; I didn’t check IDs; well, I
did, but was asked to stop), to some underage teenagers, and every
other decade in-between. You don’t accumulate that wide range of a fan
base without being respected. That is why everyone should experience
seeing her live, whether or not the tickets are just thirty-five
bucks.
Seeing her at The Bell House is something to
remember. The encore came, and Jones’ band joined her upfront around
the microphone to sing two last songs. The band consisted of: Josh
Lattanzi (bass), Pete Remm (keyboards), Jason Roberts (guitar) and Greg
Wieczorek (drums). You can catch them with Norah next time in New York
City on Tuesday, July 3 at Central Park Summerstage.
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