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Feels Like Home
02/06/2004 9:00 PM, Yahoo! Music
Ken Micallef
Norah Jones’s debut Come Away With Me was one of those freak accidents, a godsend of timing and talent that sold eight million records and thrust its beautiful singer into the global spotlight. The album cover’s stunning profile pic of Jones didn’t hurt sales, reflecting our love of good looks on pop stars. But Jones was more than that. A fan of Willie Nelson and Dolly Parton, she could also tickle the keys to Charlie Parker’s “Ornithology” or any number of jazz standards. While Come Away With Me charmed folks in need of something beyond glossy country and aggressive hip-hop and rock, critics--that spoiled, overpaid breed--often scratched their heads in confusion while hoping they could bag an interview with the shy star.
Well, if Jones’s debut was an innocuous plaything, a country jazz confection as warm as a new puppy, Feels Like Home shows what can happen when true talent takes the reins and gets down to business. Recalling Come Away With Me only for Jones’s sultry voice, the album has its share of pleasant throwaways, but those are balanced by a handful of starkly beautiful and excellently arranged songs. “Those Sweet Words,” “Carnival Town,” “The Prettiest Thing” and “Sunrise” are graceful and gorgeous, songs that nearly stop time with spine-tingling vocal harmonies and fresh chord changes. Jones plays electric piano throughout, with swampy guitars and lazy backbeat drumming creating a surreal private concert backed by Jones’s occasional, multi-tracked vocal choir. Feels Like Home will leave you spent and satisfied, your yen for Norah Jones fulfilled like a luxurious lick of sweet vanilla ice cream.
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