Norah Jones Photos (by Danny Clinch)

More from Norah Jones

Not Too Late

Come Away With Me

The Little Willies

But that doesn't make it any less spectacular. Jones' voice is still beautiful, her piano playing is lovely, and her backup musicians, The Handsome Band, are amazing. Fans of "Come Away" won't be disappointed, despite the change of style.

Something else that you see on "Home" that you didn't get before was more of Jones writing her own songs. Most of the tracks here are co-written, but Jones did write one track, "What Am I to you", herself. I will say that Jones is no lyrical genius, but the lyrics take a backseat to the still hauntingly beautiful instrumental work, especially on "Carnival Town", which has a nice string arrangement by the album's co-producer Arif Mardin.

So, to sum up: "Feels Like Home" is quite different from "Come Away with Me", but it's no less great. Jones maintains the casual, relaxed quality of her music, and leaves fans more than satisfied. I can't wait to see what she comes out with next. Judging from this album, she can continue experimenting with whatever style she wants, and she'll still produce a wonderful work of art.


Delicious, seductive musical rapture...   February 10, 2004
Christian Hunter (Austin, TX and Santa Barbara, CA,)
137 out of 149 found this review helpful

I was in the bathroom of this quaint little fish market with a converted restaurant when I first heard Norah's voice. I remember standing around in that humid little red bathroom through almost 3 tracks (not exactly good protocol on a date) totally enraptured by the the "not quite raspy, not quite silk" quality of her voice, the seductive cadence in her rythm, and delicious instramental accompaniments.

I was an immediate fan and bought her CD the next day. Norah singlehandedly branded my entire summer of 2002 as "romantic" with her first major work.

So with nervous anticipation I had my first listen of this CD tonight, and without further ado, I'm so happy to report that "Feels Like Home" (in my opinion) is as good or better than "Come Away With Me". Thank you Norah!

From what I know of Norah Jones, she got her musical career really moving when she moved from Texas to New York City. I'm guessing here, but if I had to ascribe a dominant geographic influence to each album, I'd say Come Away "leans New York" while Feels Like Home seems rooted more in Texas. Perhaps that's why this new album is named what it is...?

The only song on this CD I didn't immediately love is "Creepin In". It moves fast, is definitively country (I'm fairly certain Dolly Parton is singing along, but I don't have the album cover), yet it's very catchy and fun (as testimony, I found myself humming it tonight in the shower).

Below is a list of songs that (if you love her past work) you'll immediately adore:

Sunrise: I got an advance listen to this track a couple of months ago and fell in love with it at first listen. I think it's one of the loveliest songs on the album.

What Am I To You: Beautiful BB King style R&B track. Will certainly be a huge hit. When I first listened to this CD I couldn't get past this particular song. I listened to it a half-dozen times straight.

Carnival Town: Mostly guitar and piano (which is when I think she's at her best), the intricacy in her luscious voice is amplified and really stands out for appreciation.

In The Morning: If I decided to do what I threatened so often as a kid to do, and "ranaway", this would be the perfect song to play as I screamed out of town in some hastily acquired convertible...Rambling Anyone? Sorry...This track is intense (not loud), with a wonderful buildup and easy flowing rhythm punctuated by passionate lyrics that then break into cool but subdued R&B.

Toes: Norah at her best! Dreamy and romantic, the rhythm moves unpredictably but "just right" between light and heavy. Yikes, if that's not ambigious (might make more sense to you when you hear it).

Humble Me: Hauntingly lonely guitar entrées this song about struggle, desperation, and forgiveness. Ooh this one is good!

The Prettiest Thing: This is a slam dunk hit. A jazzy, slow rhythm that picks up in tempo and seduces you into focusing on what is probably her most romantic moment in the CD (occurs around 2 minutes 45 seconds into this track). Forgive me if this is overly dramatic (it's 2am at the writing of this review), but this song literally gave me the chills.

And on that note, I'll sign off. Enjoy this elegant work of art, you won't be dissapointed.


Norah Shows her Country side   February 10, 2004
Benjamin Balsam
18 out of 19 found this review helpful

When first listening to norah jones' 2nd album, the first thing that struck me is that it's very different from her first, the celebrated "Come Away With Me". Come away with me was bluesy and mellow in a pensive sort of way. "Feels like home" has a much more upbeat, and (generally) more fast-paced tunes. As other reviewers noted, it is strongly country-influenced. This is not to belittle it, just to it's nothing like her other music. In fact, after 3 or 4 listenings, I'm enormously satisfied, and increasingly confident in Jones' ability to continue producing stellar albums.
The album opens with "Sunrise" which was released a little more than a month ago. This is one of the more catchy tunes, and I suppose it will be played on the radio a lot. It's definately a beauty, and is a kind of segue between her two albums.
Next is "What am I to you" which norah wrote herself. Again, this song will be another favorite with its enticing and powerful words and its awesome vocals.
"Carnival Town" is kind of creepy in its slow and sad tone. It creates the same depressing but beautiful ambience as in "One Flight Down" and "I've got to see you again". This tune is one of the most emotional on the album, and, again, is reminiscent of her first album.
"Be Here to Love Me" (Townes Van Zandt)is also also a high point. It is a very folk oriented song and has the characteristic "norah" appeal
My favorite song on the album is definitely "The Long Way Home". I believe it ranks among norah's best vocal performances, and has an incredible quality to it that truly makes it stand out.
Finally, I'd like to mention "Don't Miss you at All". Norah sets her lyrics to Duke Ellington's music making an awesome jazzy blend. Definitely something different.

Since the album is rather new (came out today), I have listened to it only a few times. Although I only mentioned 5 songs in the review, I like every song on the album (although some more than others).
In conclusion, Norah really outdid herself with "Feels like home". The music is nothing that can be described in words, so go out and buy yourself a copy (bestbuy offers it for only $10). When listening, don't expect a continuation of "Come away with Me", and you'll find there's just as much to love as in the original.


What's with all the VENOM that's being SPAT at this woman?   August 13, 2005
Rich Latta (Albuquerque, NM - Land of Entitlement)
13 out of 13 found this review helpful

We've got some girl setting up false accounts just to accuse Ms. Jones of not honoring her Eastern roots - please! Then some reviewer feels the need to compare her to Etta James. Should every guitarist in the world get knocked for not being Jimi Hendrix? If you want Etta, go listen to Etta. This is something different.

For me, and I suspect most people who dig Norah Jones, it's mainly about the quality, the actual sound of her voice. That is simply an innate gift, and all the singing talent and vocal training in the world isn't necessarily going to be able to compete with that. Tracy Chapman is another example. Music snobs whine that Tracy's a 2nd rate musician, but nothing sounds like her voice and no one I've ever seen even looks like her (and she's written some great songs). Just wondering: why would Dolly Parton, a living legend to millions, bother recording with Norah if she saw nothing special about her?

This album is on the mellow tip and I tend to think the best songs are the softest ones. I do prefer COME AWAY WITH ME, but that's largly because country music plays a much greater role on FEELS LIKE HOME and that's not really my thing. This record isn't so easily classified as "country" or "blues," though. "Be Here to Love Me" by Townes Van Zandt might very well be the best track here, but it's a tough call. Admittedly, this might suggest to some that Norah isn't quite at that level of songwriting yet, but to claim she sucks is nothing but mean-spirited drivel.

One extra note that is totally irrelevant. Norah Jones is not only a wonderful keyboardist with an incredibly sensuous voice, she's strikingly beautiful. Just to look at her, I'd say she's an old soul. That's reflected in her music and she's already accomplished a great deal at quite a young age. I think this unfortunately makes a lot of people jealous.


You Won't Be Disappointed   December 27, 2004
M. E. Wood (Canada)
12 out of 12 found this review helpful

If you read my review of Come Away with Me then you know I have a slight affection for Norah Jones. I ended with: she is not a one-hit wonder who will disappear into the sunset once the media frenzy dies down. You can expect to see more releases as she spreads her wings.

Norah Jones has spread her wings with her second release, Feels Like Home. This whole CD has a different feel. It isn't the ballad symphony of the last album and it has less of a jazzy flair with a bit of country pop.

Feels Like Home showcases 13 new songs, seven written or co-written by Norah Jones. Norah is accompanied by the Handsome Band: Lee Alexander (bass), Kevin Breit (guitar), Andrew Borger (drums), Adam Levy (guitar) and Daru Oda (background vocals, keyboards). There are also special guest appearances by Dolly Parton, Levon Helm and Garth Hudson. From the first album she brought back Jesse Harris, Tony Scherr, Brian Blade and Rob Burger.

SUNRISE is the first single released off Feels Like Home. It is an upbeat number with a distinctive slit drum keeping rhythm in the back.

A little blues is shared with IN THE MORNING but what is most notable about this number is the Wurlitzer piano solo before the last chorus.

A little country flavour is served with CREEPIN' IN, a duet with Dolly Parton. I was surprised when I heard Dolly would accompany Norah but this isn't the first time. They performed together at the 2003 Country Music Awards. Parton doesn't overshadow Jones like I thought she might. Compared to her regular performances Dolly is toned down for this song. Even her endearing signature laugh at the end of the track was toned down. You can't help but smile when you hear Dolly laugh. She has a contagious glow about her. They complement one another in this upbeat bluegrass performance. This isn't the only country sounding number THE LONG WAY HOME, also carries a bit of twang albeit more subtle.

Two of my favourite songs are TOES and HUMBLE ME both reminiscent of Norah's love of ballads. HUMBLE ME is very simple with Norah on vocals and pump organ accompanied by guitar and bass.

DON"T MISS YOU AT ALL was written by Norah a couple years ago to Duke Ellington's instrumental "Melancholia". She has actually been performing it in concerts long before it reached this CD and is a beautiful ending. Like her first album, Norah ends with just her vocals and piano. Sweet.

My only complaint about this CD is the new Copy Control Technology the record label decided to incorporate. While I can understand where they are coming from, I don't appreciate not being able to play my CD on any player. It took a couple plays before my player finally stopped skipping. Annoyed is something you don't want to be when listening to an album for the first time. So be warned, you may have issues playing the CD and may have to try a couple of players to get it to play through without skipping.

I love every song on this CD. If you are a Norah Jones fan I don't think you will be disappointed and if Norah is new to you, I think you will be delighted.

Review Originally Posted at http://www.linearreflections.com