Feels Like Home NORAH JONES (2004)
Week: Sun 21st to Sat 27th Feb
Format: LP
Producer(s): Arif Mardin & Norah Jones
Track listing:
1. Sunrise *
2. What Am I to You? *
3. Those Sweet Words *
4. Carnival Town
5. In the Morning
6. Be Here to Love Me
7. Creepin' In
8. Toes
9. Humble Me *
10. Above Ground
11. The Long Way Home *
12. The Prettiest Thing
13. Don't Miss You At All
TOTAL RUNNING TIME: 46:26
The incredibly talented Norah Jones found massive international success with her 2002 debut album, Come Away With Me. The record would win a swag of awards and go to sell more than 27 million copies worldwide. No pressure for a follow-up. The 'difficult second album' could have been a carbon copy of her first, but she leant further into a country/pop direction. Keeping the jazz/folk vibes of the debut, she released this effort almost two years to the day after that record.
In my opinion, this is a much better album. There are some terrific songs on Come Away With Me, the title track and the hit Don't Know Why to name a couple, but it feels like a bunch of songs that have been thrown together. Feels Like Home has a similar mix of covers and originals, but it flows better. There's a cohesion to this set of songs that is very aurally pleasing, especially to this listener.
Starting with a simple bass line before Jones' twinkly piano kicks in, Sunrise is possibly one of the best songs of her career. It's a fantastic way to open the album as it feels like an awakening, a new day. Forget the album before, this is a new one. Her effortlessly-delivered, breathy vocals wash over you like the rays of the sun. The song was co-written by bassist Lee Alexander, who also contributed to Come Away With Me and 2007's Not Too Late.
Starting with a simple bass line before Jones' twinkly piano kicks in, Sunrise is possibly one of the best songs of her career. It's a fantastic way to open the album as it feels like an awakening, a new day. Forget the album before, this is a new one. Her effortlessly-delivered, breathy vocals wash over you like the rays of the sun. The song was co-written by bassist Lee Alexander, who also contributed to Come Away With Me and 2007's Not Too Late.
Along with Alexander, guitarists Adam Levy and Jesse Harris return on this record, the latter being the songwriter behind her hit Don't Know Why. Harris just plays on two tracks however, with more guitaring duties going to Canadian singer/songwriter Kevin Breit. Jones does a great version of his song Humble Me here as well. Whereas Brian Blade played most of the drum tracks on Come Away With Me, he only appears on The Prettiest Thing with the lion's share of the drumming coming from Andrew Borger.
Some stellar guests appear on the album, with Creepin' In featuring none other than Dolly Parton. The fun tune would earn a Grammy nom for Best Country Collaboration with Vocals. Renowned classically-trained cellist Jane Scarpantoni contributes to the track Carnival Town and jazz/folk singer/songwriter Tony Scherr pops in to play guitar on the Jones-penned What I Am to You?. Former members of The Band, Levon Helm and Garth Hudson also appear on the aforementioned track, on drums and Hammond organ respectively. Hudson also lends some gentlemanly accordion to a fabulous rendition of Townes Van Zandt's Be Here to Love Me.
One of my absolute favourite moments on this record is The Long Way Home, which I only recently discovered was a Tom Waits cover. One of many songs he co-wrote with his partner Kathleen Brennan, the track appeared on Waits' sprawling rarities box set Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards, two years after the release of this album. Other highlights for me include Levy's In The Morning and Those Sweet Words, written by Alexander with Richard Julian, who is part of the country supergroup featuring Jones and Alexander, The Little Willies.
Not one to be pigeonholed, Jones would release the pop-heavy album The Fall in 2009 and employed Danger Mouse (Brian Burton) to produce 2012's Little Broken Hearts. A frequent collaborator, a compilation dedicated to songs she appears on ...Featuring Norah Jones was issued in 2010. One of the more surprising albums Jones released was one she did with Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong. 2013's Foreverly was a song by song cover of The Everly Brothers 1958 album Songs Our Daddy Taught Us. Her most recent work has featured more original music and less covers with her writing or co-writing all of the songs on her most recent album, Pick Me Up Off the Floor.
This is a great album to put on as the sun is going down and you enjoy that first drink of the evening with a loved one. Jones' voice is so easy to listen to, and the musicians she's surrounded herself with know how to enhance the songs she's chosen without getting in their way. Simply stunning.
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