NORAH JONES plays Massey Hall July 6. See listing. Rating: NNN
If you think you hate Norah Jones, this collaboration with producer Danger Mouse is the album that could change your mind. The pairing not only gives the silky-voiced crooner some much-needed edge and humanity, but it also finds the producer showing more restraint and appreciation for space than he has for much too long. Together, they’ve brought an impressively large range of new influences to her sound, including spaghetti western twang, dub reggae, ambient pop and new wave, most of which work far better than you might imagine.
Of course, it wouldn’t be Norah Jones if all this experimentation weren’t built around the easy-listening adult contemporary ballads that have brought her commercial success. And with that comes the expected blandness, but it’s much easier to digest when spiced up with more adventurous flavours. Little Broken Hearts is held back by a lack of intimacy and the unemotional stiffness we associate with Jones. Still, it’s almost a great album.
Top track: After the Fall