NORAH JONES - The Fall
NORAH JONES - The Fall
Written by Elle Hunt   
Sunday, 03 January 2010 10:13
Norah Jones - The Fall NOAH JONES’ debut, ‘Come Away With Me’, sold 10 million copies.

With that kind of success, it would be easy for her to churn out more of the same mellow, acoustic piano-pop that made her a star, safe in the knowledge that it would find an audience. However, Miss Jones has chosen the road less travelled, choosing to reinvent herself with ‘The Fall’.

This, her fourth album, showcases a more alt-rock edge to her voice and song-writing prowess – and although she’s left the comfort zone in which she found fame, she adopts her new style with ease and assurance.
Of course, she’s had a helping hand with her makeover. Award-winning producer and engineer Jacquire King, who has worked with Kings of Leon and Modest Mouse, lent his expertise to shaping her new sound. His influence is tangible in Jones’ newly gritty, angular vocals, which are reminiscent of Tom Waits (whose album, ‘Mule Variations’, was produced by King, and indeed, was the reason Jones sought King to work on her latest). Moreover, most of the pianos are muted, and sent through a delay pedal. The resulting effect is more edgy and rhythmic than Jones’ previous works, and it complements her much better than you’d think.

Her backing band, too, has changed personnel: her latest pool of collaborators has worked with such stellar artists as Johnny Cash, Beck, Erykah Badu, Elvis Costello, and Joe Strummer. The musicianship, therefore, is faultless, and the songs sound fluid, more like casual jams than recording takes, which reminded me of Joss Stone’s ‘Colour Me Free!’ – another album in which an established female singer-songwriter experimented with what worked with her.

‘Chasing Pirates’, Jones’ first single from ‘The Fall’, embodies her new sound. With its undercurrent of bubbling synths and hushed piano chords, it’s spacious: there’s none of the jazz piano of her debut, although her voice has that same husky, understated quality. Second track ‘Even Though’ highlights her new focus on guitar work, while ‘Light As A Feather’ (a collaborative effort with Ryan Adams) is one of the album’s highlights, its plucked bass line providing a minimal but atmospheric backing to Jones’ quietly commanding voice. ‘Tell Yer Mama’ and ‘Stuck’ are the other stand-out tracks of the album.

Most of the songs are about coming to terms with the end of a relationship – not a surprise, seeing as Jones split with her long-time partner (and musical collaborator) Lee Alexander at the end of the 2007. In ‘I Wouldn’t Need You’, she longs to feel self-sufficient; in ‘You’ve Ruined Me’, she comes to terms with her own feelings of failure. Jones wrote or co-wrote all of the songs of ‘The Fall’, and her lyrics seem to be intensely personal: it makes for engaging listening.

There’s no doubt that the transformation of Norah Jones will polarise her fans: it happened even within my own home. My parents, who like jazz and ‘Come Away With Me’, did not enjoy ‘The Fall’; her debut made no impression on me, but with my grounding in alternative-rock, I thought this was a charismatic album. In either case, so few modern musicians feel the need to take themselves out of their comfort zone - especially when their current formula is working for them, that regardless of one’s stance on her new sound, Jones deserves credit for challenging herself.
 

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