Norah Jones - The Fall Review

Posted by Daniel Wilcox on 11.18.2009

Grammy-award winning jazz-pop songstress Norah Jones returns with a new album and a new sound.



Norah Jones - The Fall
Review by Daniel Wilcox

Track listing:
1. Chasing Pirates
2. Even Though
3. Light as a Feather
4. Young Blood
5. I Wouldn’t Need You
6. Waiting
7. It’s Gonna Be
8. You’ve Ruined Me
9. Back to Manhattan
10. Stuck
11. December
12. Tell Yer Mama
13. Man of the Hour

Considering the fact that her debut record Come Away With Me was a multi-Grammy award-winning effort, it should come as no surprise that Norah Jones’ subsequent releases have very rarely seen Jones leave her comfort zone, and this a move that you just cannot blame her for, seeing as languishing in said mellow comfort zone has seen her three previous albums rack up combined sales of close to 40million. Her own brand of jazz-pop has been one of the surprising success of the decade, and as such, her new record The Fall was always likely to follow along the same lines as its predecessors. But surprisingly, it doesn’t.

Or perhaps not so surprising. Since releasing her previous album, Jones has gone through significant changes. She broke up with her long-time boyfriend and bass player, and thus this record is full of more angst-ridden tracks that see Jones boasting a new-found toughness. In fact, the whole band has been replaced. There’s a new production team in place that favours a number of guitar-driven numbers that see Jones’ vocal displayed in a more chaotic and diverse place than ever before. These changes are for the better because although there is clear evolution present on The Fall, Jones’ trademark jazz sound is ever-present.

It takes a few tracks in for these changes to even become apparent. Lead single “Chasing Pirates” and “Even Though” are vintage Jones and will seem very familiar to long-time fans of hers. Then there’s the country waltz of “You Ruined Me,” and by far the best vocal performance on the whole album, “Man of the Hour.” Vocally this record is perhaps a step up from Jones’ previous three as she reaches further out technically and emotionally. The Fall sees Jones get bigger and louder but somewhat paradoxically, more intimate.

Despite the almost unfathomable sales of previous albums, Norah Jones was someone who could often be criticized for being boring, but The Fall is a huge step in the right direction, a step towards shaking off that tag that, despite the Grammys, still lingers. It’s raw and powerful but still beautiful in places, thanks to Jones sounding more comfortable in her sound than she has ever been, somehow. The production of Jacquire King (Kings of Leon, Tom Waits) helps a lot, as is evident on glitzy groove of “It’s Gonna Be,” with its serenading electronic piano and growling guitars.

And although talented writers like Ryan Adams and Will Sheff have been brought in, it is clear by the fact that Jones has penned eight of the thirteen tracks on her own that she has grown into a real, independent woman, and at thirty, it’s about time. This growth is not only reflected in terms of the writing, but of the songs’ themes and their sound. It’s not a conventional Norah Jones album and that is definitely a good thing. It’s big and it’s bold and most importantly, it is by far the best work she’s done, even it doesn’t manage to scoop the eight Grammys that her debut did way back when.

Essential downloads: “Young Blood,” “It’s Gonna Be,” “You’ve Ruined Me,” “Stuck” and “Man of the Hour.”

The 411: It’s taken her a while to get there, but Norah Jones has finally a written an album of some worth. It may not please her old fans, and judging by album sales there are a fair few of them, but it is a record that represents a rawer and far less sophisticated side of Norah Jones, which is more than welcome. While I may have overstated the album’s depth, I’ve only done so because Norah Jones records are notorious for their lack of it, so this is a big, big step in the right direction. And though it may not be flawless, it’s a significant improvement nonetheless.

Final Score:  7.5   [ Good ]