Come Away With Me

Performer: Norah Jones
Artist: Bill Frisell; Brian Blade; Jesse Harris
Engineer: Husky Huskolds; Jay Newland
Distributor: EMI Music Distribution

Notes: Personnel: Norah Jones (vocals, piano, Wurlitzer piano); Jesse Harris, Kevin Breit (acoustic & electric guitars); Tony Scherr (acoustic guitar, slide guitar); Adam Levy, Bill Frisell (electric guitar); Adam Rogers (guitar); Jenny Scheinman (violin); Sam Yahel (Hammond B-3 organ); Rob Burger (organ); Lee Alexander (bass); Brian Blade (drums, percussion); Dan Reiser, Kenny Wollesen (drums). Producers: Arif Mardin, Norah Jones, Jay Newland, Craig Street. Recorded at Sorcerer Sound, New York, New York and Allaire Studios, Shokan, New York. Norah Jones won the 2003 Grammy Award for Best New Artist. COME AWAY WITH ME won the 2003 Grammy Awards for Album Of The Year, Best Pop Vocal Album and Best Engineered Album (Non-Classical). "Don't Know Why" won the 2003 Grammy Awards for Record Of The Year, Song Of The Year and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. Arif Mardin won the 2003 Grammy Award for Producer Of The Year (Non-Classical). Personnel: Norah Jones (vocals, piano, electric piano, Wurlitzer organ); Kevin Breit (guitar, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, National guitar); Adam Rogers (guitar); Jesse Harris & the Ferdinandos, Adam Levy , Jesse Harris (acoustic guitar, electric guitar); Tony Scherr (acoustic guitar, slide guitar); Bill Frisell (electric guitar); Jenny Scheinman (violin); Rob Burger (accordion, pump organ); Brian Blade (drums, percussion); Dan Rieser, Kenny Wollesen (drums). Audio Mixers: Jay Newland; Arif Mardin. Audio Remixer: Jay Newland. Recording information: Allaire Studios, Shokan, NY; Sorcerer SOund, New York, NY. Photographer: Joanne Savio. Norah Jones' debut on Blue Note is a mellow, acoustic pop affair with soul and country overtones, immaculately produced by the great Arif Mardin. (It's pretty much an open secret that the 22-year-old vocalist and pianist is the daughter of Ravi Shankar.) Jones is not quite a jazz singer, but she is joined by some highly regarded jazz talent: guitarists Adam Levy, Adam Rogers, Tony Scherr, Bill Frisell, and Kevin Breit; drummers Brian Blade, Dan Rieser, and Kenny Wollesen; organist Sam Yahel; accordionist Rob Burger; and violinist Jenny Scheinman. Her regular guitarist and bassist, Jesse Harris and Lee Alexander, respectively, play on every track and also serve as the chief songwriters. Both have a gift for melody, simple yet elegant progressions, and evocative lyrics. (Harris made an intriguing guest appearance on Seamus Blake's Stranger Things Have Happened.) Jones, for her part, wrote the title track and the pretty but slightly restless "Nightingale." She also includes convincing readings of Hank Williams' "Cold Cold Heart," J.D. Loudermilk's "Turn Me On," and Hoagy Carmichael's "The Nearness of You." There's a touch of Rickie Lee Jones in Jones' voice, a touch of Bonnie Raitt in the arrangements; her youth and her piano skills could lead one to call her an Alicia Keys for grown-ups. While the mood of this record stagnates after a few songs, it does give a strong indication of Jones' alluring talents. ~ David R. Adler A direct descendant from the pedigree of one of the 20th century's virtuosos, Norah Jones might not be on such a lofty artistic level as her dad Ravi Shankar, but certainly inherited some musical intuition from him. With nary a sitar nor raga within earshot, the young newcomer sounds very much an assimilated, western, 21st century pop-jazz singer. One thing that separates her from the pack is Ms. Jones' own piano stylings--not flashy, but deftly doubling or echoing her voice--that discreetly act as the glue holding together these airy, delicate, and beautiful arrangements. But the centerpiece is certainly the 22-year-old's confident-beyond-her-years vocal delivery in addition to a precise diction and velvety tone. Shades of Nina Simone, vintage Phoebe Snow, and a less beatnik Rickie Lee Jones are evident throughout as the young siren coolly sashays through mostly new material by guitarist-songwriter Jesse Harris (formerly of Once Blue) and a few choice covers. Veteran producer Arif Mardin frames a most notable debut with a translucent touch, and appearances by jazz heroes Bill Frisell and Brian Blade gild the lily.

Rolling Stone (12/26/02, p.104) - Ranked #8 in Rolling Stone's list of 2002's "10 Best Debuts" Rolling Stone (3/28/02, pp.68,70) - 3.5 stars out of 5 - "...A quietly captivating triumph of torch song[s]..." Entertainment Weekly (12/20-27/02, p.128) - Ranked #10 on EW's list of 2002's "Albums of the Year" Entertainment Weekly (3/8/02, p.73) - "...Jones' album has the lope of Western swing and the flow of a good live set....Her voice is supple and precise, her touch on piano lovely..." - Rating: A- Down Beat (June 2002, pp.63-64) - 3.5 out of 5 stars - "...Jones delivers...multigenre cross-cultural eclecticism....It is a voice containing seductive mysteries and also the most exposed human vulnerabilities..." JazzTimes (6/02, p.88) - "...Ranks among the most bracing and beautiful in recent memory..." Vibe (4/02, p.168) - 3.5 discs out of 5 - "...She allows a pared-down, semi-acoustic backdrop to showcase her lilting soprano....an auspicious debut..." Mojo (Publisher) - Ranked #74 in Mojo's "100 Modern Classics" -- "[S]eductive, mysterious songs, slouched jazzily around the rhythm, and slipped in a lonesome touch of twang." Mojo (Publisher) (April 2002, p.110) - "...Jones' debut is a calming delight, a delicate acoustic dance that pulls country, blues and jazz into a gorgeous, soft-edged rootsy singer-songwriter world...Soothing and substantial."

When young singer/pianist Norah Jones arrived in New York City from Texas, few expected that within a couple of years she'd be a chart-topping, MTV-friendly, press-besieged sensation. Yet she charmed listeners by the truckload with her 2002 Blue Note release COME AWAY WITH ME, with ethereal, wispy vocals, melodic, dewy piano work, and the songwriting acumen of such NYC cult heroes as Jesse Harris.

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