Norah Jones performs March 15 at Overture Hall, 201 State in Madison, and March 19 at the Riverside Theater, 116 W. Wisconsin in Milwaukee.
Keeping up with the Joneses
Wednesday, 24 February 2010 13:27
“The Fall”
In her new release from Blue Note, Norah Jones trades the increasing languor of her last few albums for some relative vigor. Don’t get me wrong, she hasn’t morphed into Karen O, but she has picked up the pace. The difference is evident right from the start with the rhythmic and rolling “Chasing Pirates.” And, matey, it’s a pleasing difference. Jones and her band maintain the momentum on “Even Though,” “Young Blood” and the bumping “It’s Gonna Be.”
But fear not, the soothing Jones still dominates, begging the question of whether “the fall” refers to falling asleep.
“Balm In Gilead”
In her previous album “The Sermon on Exposition Boulevard,” Rickie Lee Jones explored religious imagery and ideology – as if you couldn’t tell from the title. It was her first studio disc of original material in four years, and its tone took me by surprise.
“Balm In Gilead” (Fantasy) also has a religious reference. But beginning with the celebratory “Wild Girl,” in which she sings the praises of her daughter Charlotte and motherhood, it sounds like we have the RLJ of old back for a few minutes. The same can be said of the sound “Eucalyptus Trail,” while a duet with Ben Harper on “Old Enough” explores a vein of domestic bliss.
Considering the company she keeps on “Remember Me,” musicians Alison Krauss and Vic Chesnutt, it’s not surprising that the song has a country accent. Jones’s spiritual side reappears on “His Jeweled Floor,” “Bonfires” and “The Gospel of Carlos, Norman and Smith” (complete with an organ).
“Ellipse”
Imogen Heap has had one of the most interesting career trajectories in recent memory. A decent 1998 debut album went virtually ignored, but when she teamed up with Guy Sigsworth to form Frou Frou, she got the attention she deserved. That thrust continued when Heap went solo again with 2005’s “Speak for Yourself.”
The new “Ellipse” (RCA/Megaphone) perpetuates the electronic-driven sound and style that Heap has focused on in recent years. Like its predecessor, “Ellipse” is an ethereal and luminous affair. Standouts include “First Train Home,” “Swoon,” “Earth,” “Tidal,” “Bad Body Double” and “Half Life.”
“All In One” and “Quiet Nights”
Bebel Gilberto may not have had any choice about becoming a recording artist. After all, she is the daughter of Brazilian music legends João Gilberto and Miúcha. But it wasn’t until 2000, well into her music career, that she made her U.S. debut and the ensuing splash occurred.
On her colorful new release from Verve, Gilberto blends several originals with covers of tunes by Stevie Wonder (“The Real Thing”), Bob Marley (“Sun Is Shining”), Harry Warren and Mack Gordon (“Chica Chica Boom Chic”) and her father (“Bim Bom”). The result is one of her warmest and most inviting albums.
If you don’t want to immediately abandon the Brazilian mood, consider Diana Krall’s “Quiet Nights” (Verve). The modern jazz diva puts a bossa nova spin on songs by Bacharach and David (“Walk On By”), Rodgers and Hart (“Where Or When”), Johnny Mercer (“Too Marvelous For Words”) and others.
“Break-through”
Internet sensation Colbie Caillat is showing no signs of slowing down. Her sophomore disc from Universal Republic doesn’t veer too far from the bland and safe pop of her 2007 debut. It’s all a bit safe and calculated (she’s collaborating with songwriting robots such as Kara Dioguardi and Rick Nowels) and ultimately disposable.
“Stupid Love”
Mindy Smith has a more genuinely original sound and delivery than Caillat. There’s no “songwriting by committee” on her new Vanguard release, which gives the songs an authenticity and intelligence that is hard to beat. Smart highlights include “Highs and Lows,” “What Went Wrong,” “Love Lost,” “What Love Can Do,” “Couldn’t Stand The Rain,” “Surface” and “Love Chases After Me.”
“The Loving Kind”
It’s unclear whether it was intentional, but the title track of Nanci Griffith’s new album from Rounder could become one of the anthems of the same-sex marriage movement. The songs tells the story, Griffith-style, of Mildred and Richard Loving, a mixed race couple who “changed the heart of a nation” when they married in 1958, despite Virginia laws prohibiting them from doing so. The message is applicable in the LGBT community’s fight for the right to marry, and the song is one of empowerment and triumph. This disc marks Griffith’s return to folk song form.
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