Norah Jones
The Fall

"Chasing Pirates", the first single from this new project by the talented petite singer, starts intentionally stumbling, with an offbeat Hammond that the dark-sounding drums struggle to align. But it’s only to show how Norah's voice can perform any miracle. When it comes in, the song immediately becomes catchy and engaging, and that wobbly background makes it instantly sound "different" to most ears. Simple but adorable solo, a truly successful piece.

"Even though" entrusts the task of disruption to a heavily effected and almost noisy guitar. Voice miracle accomplished here as well, but the piece is less brilliant. "Light as a feather" has a slightly more orderly background at the beginning, which plays its role well as a frame for the ups and downs of the voice. In certain passages of nonsense guitars and synths, I glimpse echoes of some of Bowie's works... (blasphemy?). "Young blood" has nothing to do with the early '60s R&R classic that few will remember; it's a more rhythmic but less inspired song. "Waiting", it must be said, is a bit boring, despite a substantial vocal line. The musical base could have been embellished.

"It's gonna be" takes us towards more rhythmical soul, and here I challenge anyone not to applaud the one who writes and sings pieces of this caliber. I don’t like the solo, searching for the strange at all costs, but the track is captivating. With "You've ruined me" you can hear echoes of previous works, and a few yawns ensue, as in the case of "Back to Manhattan" and the subsequent "Stuck". Songs seasoned, however, with the usual vocal class.

"December", sung by anyone else, would be boring, I believe. Here, instead, you listen if you admire Norah's tone, you run away if you think she’s nothing special or is overrated and blah blah blah. Atmospheric song with piano embellishments here and there (empty? I’d say yes, but it stands its ground).

"Tell your mama" is based on a playful muted guitar that the voice, for once, slows down a bit. The vocal lines are doubled like in 80% of pop works, thus somewhat predictably. It closes with "Man of the hour", truly unique, a little gem of vocal melody and minimal background.

As for the bold parts... musically interesting work, with a pursuit of the strange that, in the long run, feels a bit forced, something that could already be inferred from the cover. But it's a classy oddity, based on slightly retro sounds exacerbated in a skillful way. A project that showcases the artistic maturity of the singer-songwriter and consecrates her voice, "magical" for many, boring for some. A bit more zest would not have hurt, indeed, but the petite singer knows her craft, and she proves it once again.