Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 6-10 of 362
 The First Album of the Rest of Norah's Career February 3, 2007
J. Chasin (NYC, NY)
50 out of 78 found this review helpful
One interesting thing about Amazon reviews is that readers really don't like negative ones; just look at the feedback votes for the pans on this page. I think that's because people come to an Amazon page wanting to buy the item, wanting to like it, and the negative reviews are not really what we want to see, not when we've got credit card in-hand.
With the new Norah Jones record, Not Too Late, you've also got the burden of expectation; in a short time she's become a major, Grammy-winning star. You couldn't escape Come Away With Me the summer it was out; it seemed like every time I went to someone's house, they simply HAD to play me this new, great record that it was impossible not to like.
And that's the thing about Not Too Late. It is not impossible to dislike this record. Come Away From Me was lightning in a bottle; it sold 18 million copies yet it was a small record. It was that rarest of albums--a hit on merit, not record company push (heck, it was on Blue Note). It oozed simple earnest charm.
But you can't make your first record more than once, and you probably can't make another universally acclaimed 18-million seller either. Not Too Late is a more challenging work. Of course it boasts the natural gifts of Jones and crew (notably boyfriend/collaborator Lee Alexander.) But it is a genre-hopping, at times almost experimental work, nowhere as consistent, uniform, or in the pocket as her earlier records. If you have expectations based on previous records (not unreasonable), then this will almost undoubtedly not live up to them.
But that means she is painting with a broader palate, and sometimes that takes getting used to; it is indeed possible that with a few years time, Not Too Late will look like Norah's creative breakthrough, maybe something like Elvis Costello's Imperial Bedroom. When I first heard Come Away With Me, my immediate reaction was to go and listen to my Rickie Lee Jones records again, because I thought that, as likable as it was, it was derivative. But what you hear on Not Too Late is an artist finding her own voice.
If you are a fan, then of course you ought to pick this up (and in my opinion, the price is right.) If you are just coming to Norah's work, then (a) where have you been; and (b) you really should start with Come Away With me. There are moments of sublime beauty here ("Not My Friend"), and I have a feeling this album will sound very different after I've let it "breathe" a few months. It does not scale the heights of her first two main records on the "I Instantly Love This and So Will You"-o-meter. Where it falls out in time, we'll just have to wait and see. But I do think that whatever she does from here, this record points the way.
 err.. mmm... oh! Sorry, I was asleep.... January 30, 2007
Steven Guy (Croydon, South Australia)
46 out of 64 found this review helpful
I have spent the last three days at work listening to the new Norah Jones album.
I am perplexed. I am unable to remember any of the tunes and I still haven't been able to detect any emotional content in this album. The voice of Ms Jones seems to be almost entirely without expression. The musicians around her play in a way that is so emotionally "cool" it is hard not to come to the conclusion that they were simply "going through the motions" when they recorded this album. As I said, the songs themselves aren't memorable and after three days of fairly solid listening, I still can't remember any of the songs, or, rather, none of the songs have made any significant impression on me.
This singer has a Grammy and is regarded as one of the most popular singers in the Western world today. So what is wrong with me? I don't mind "Lounge Music" and singers who perform this style of music. I found myself strangely moved by the new Patricia Kaas album, "Piano Bar", several songs on this CD are beautiful, poignant and poised. Ms Kaas can bring tears to my eyes with her interpretations of sad songs. Patricia Kaas sings with beauty and simplicity on this album, yet she also sings with great feeling and conviction - she makes each song tell its story in the most beguiling way.
I do like a wide range of other music, too.
So why am I so unmoved and impervious to Norah Jones?
Is it just me or is it that her new album is musically, emotionally and spiritually empty?
I wonder!?
 The smooth-singing siren tiptoes toward a slightly younger demographic. March 22, 2007
peterhoof (London, UK)
41 out of 43 found this review helpful
Studio album number three from Norah Jones is sweet, beautiful, a little bit sad, a little bit happy, immaculately played and exquisitely sung in that gorgeous voice: a warm and charming collection of songs in the styles with which Jones has become associated - blues, jazz, folk, country, soul.
And it's also just a little bit dull.
You don't come to a Norah Jones album expecting visceral death-metal thrills, but even so, sometimes her music would be more satisfying if she would take us on a few more ups and downs, let her voice crackle with emotion.
The tender, soulful ballad "Until the End" would have been the perfect opportunity to do this, but the moment when she grabs hold of a phrase and runs with it: it never happens.
Still, there's plenty to admire here, not least the restrained musicianship, and the tender, timeless songs themselves, all written or co-written by Jones.
But mostly there's that voice - strikingly pure, utterly flawless.
I can't believe how disappointed I am!!... February 1, 2007
Christine
39 out of 48 found this review helpful
I was so excited to see Norah had a new CD coming out that I pre-ordered it. BIG mistake! I'm not doing that again with NJ. The first album was incredible, the second almost as good but this third one I'm having trouble even getting through the whole thing. I like mellow music but this is ridiculous, I'm falling asleep! I am making myself listen to the album a few times, but besides a couple of songs that are just ok, I am not really enjoying it. I'm fighting myself to keep from forwarding to the next track in mid-song. Most of the songs sound the same and I can't tell one from the next. To the reviewers who insist you have to read the lyrics... Yes lyrics are important but this is music, if I can't bare to listen to it, what's the point? The magic of the first album is no where to be found in this one.
My advice: Listen to it before you buy it because obviously there are some people who love this cd, maybe you are one of those few.
 This is a wonderful album - live with it!!! February 1, 2007
James May (Seattle, WA United States)
36 out of 56 found this review helpful
I stand amazed at the reviews of this album. They miss the mark... by a mile! Some folks want to make Norah Jones into something she just ain't. She is what she is; a fine singer, and now song writer. Her tempos have generally been slow before. I just don't think people are listening to the lyrics - thoughtful, original and reflective. That she wrote them herself shows tremendous growth. One person wrote this is an album to make love by. Oh pleeeeeeease. She is also not a cool jazz performer. She doesn't fill a specific niche. This is what I like; she combines jazz, country, folk, soul, et al. This is also a wonderfully recorded album by Blue Note - imaging, soundstage, and presence to boot. Blue Note took their time in making this one - thanks. Hey, if this isn't your bag, move on.
|
