Customer Reviews

Come Away with Me

5 star:		(784)
4 star:		(237)
3 star:		(96)
2 star:		(72)
1 star:		(101)

 

 

Norah Jones the unexpected Star of 2002. Her beautiful voice is sweet and has that rare talent of making you forget your problems and drift away to a better place. COME AWAY WITH ME my personal favorite song on the album. It is simple beautiful song it doesn't overload you with anything you just have to sit down and listen to Norah's beautiful voice.
The CD also contains live versions of COLD COLD HEART and TURN ME ON. Both songs which appear on her album COME AWAY WITH ME. I will admit though they take a few listens to really get into them but it is worth it. Norah's music is excellent and is one of the few artists who deserve the sucess they have had.

... There is no doubt that Norah Jones is the most formidable new jazz vocal talent since Diana Krall. Her vocal control, style, tone, and soul are unmistakably brilliant. I also find her writing ability to be fantastic, as evidenced by the title track - the only reason her tracks don't stand out as much on the CD is because of the star-studded cast of old-time songwriters represented by the other tracks. However, there is a major caveat with this album, which is that its mood is completely monotonal. Taken individually, each track is a beautiful lament (Don't Know Why), slow burning love song (Come Away With Me), or smoky introspective (Nightengale). However, taken en masse they create such a dark, contemplative weave that after a while the listener loses consciousness of the details of the tunes and his/her attention easliy wanders to other things. The introduction of even one or two upbeat, more aggressively arranged tunes would save this record and earn it 5 stars in my book. I'd like to hear Jones take on some of the bop classics, or maybe dabble in some Kurt Elling-like rearrangements of mellower tunes with spicier backgrounds. All in all though, a CD worth owning and an artist worth looking out for in the future.

The voice of Norah Jones is average, the way she sings her songs is average, this music will put you to sleep before the first track is over and don't count that something will awake you later.

There seems to be a big demand for new pretty female singers with jazz label - witness all the hype that people like Norah Jones & Jane Monheit get - and the business people know how to turn this demand into money. Every now and then there appears a new hot name in female singing, new Ella Fitzgerald, sort of. Just grab your cash and run to the nearest music store or to your computer and one-click order the newest revelation. The truth is that what you get is basically ordinary pop with jazz camouflage and heavily advertised. After a while you realise you were deceived but just then another singer shows up to fullfil your hopes...

If you're really looking for a new cool voice in jazz (JAZZ I repeat) that is largely underestimated, that will give you thrills and make your jaw drop -- try Tierney Sutton. She is simply amazing. After listening to someone like Tierney you won't be able to bear Norah and the like any more.

If you do not care about jazz but simply like calm nice female singing you will do better if you try Natalie Merchant's 'TIGERLILY' - which is of similar style as 'Come away with me' but decidedly more original and mature.

Only if you have bought all the records you always wanted to buy and do not know what to do with your money buy Norah Jones and her 'Come away with me'.

Norah Jones is part of a popular trend that's going on right now: putting a pretty girl behind a piano. I really expected more from Norah because of the ravishing reviews and Grammy nominations, I really did, but this CD turned out to be as tasty as a rice cake. Norah has "sultry" voice, but she lacks any kind of vocal range and doesn't display any kind of emotions throughout her songs. "Come Away With Me" starts off on a smooth note with "I Don't Know Why" and makes you think that you'll be in for something more, but after that song everything that comes after it just goes downhill. If you're not paying attention to the CD it would be hard to find out if a song has just started or ended because they all sound the same; there is nothing unique about any of them. I was hoping there would be some experimentation with certain sounds and that she'd have some East Indian influence in her music, but there is none.

How is her music considered jazz and who had the nerve to compare her to Billie Holiday? After I listened to Norah's CD I listened to Billie's CD- immediately and thank goodness it was close at hand- and I realized that there is nothing similar between the two of them. While Billie was able to express emotions through an array of beats and melodies, Norah's "sultry" voice- along with the music- remains stagnant and monotonous throughout "Come Away With Me." I didn't feel relaxed or inspired at all, just bored and anxious. Sure, Norah wrote some of the songs, but that doesn't make her better than other *real* jazz greats like Billie and Etta like one reviewer tried to imply. It's not *what* you do but *how* you do it. Billie didn't write many songs, but it was her voice and feeling that she put into the songs that touched many people. Norah writes lyrics, uninspiring and dead lyrics, and puts no magic into them.

While Norah Jones may want you to "come away" with her, she ultimately leads you nowhere. Don't believe the hype about this CD. It's definitely the most overrated album of the year. "Come Away With Me" has just tied with Sade's "Lover's Rock" CD for being just one long boring song. If you want to listen to REAL jazz, skip this floozy and get Billie Holiday or any of Sade's earlier work.

As someone who listens mostly to the music of men who died before he was born, the appearance of Norah Jones - pop icon, legitimate jazz artist, and only a few years older than me - is cause for celebration. Jones, with her sultry voice and almost-gorgeous features, brings a spirit of youth and sex appeal to the long-suffering jazz genre just as she brings refreshing musicianship to popular music.

Jones's debut album is a collection of originals written by her and her sidemen and a few covers. Some are catchy ("Don't Know Why", written by guitarist Jesse Harris), some are fun ("Feelin' the Same Way", by bassist Lee Alexander), and some are plain beautiful ("The Long Day is Over", by Harris and Jones). All are greatly enhanced by the outstanding session men, Brian Blade, Adam Levy, and Kevin Breit. Jazz legend Bill Frisell unfortunately appears on only one track, but his inimitable playing helps make "The Long Day is Over" the high point of the album. Jones's voice is tremendous throughout, and her piano work is simple but elegant.

Some of the criticisms that have been leveled at this album are unfair. The songs are not all of the same tempo; Though it is true that the songs on this album are mostly of a moderate pace, Jones does well with the more uptempo numbers (eg "Feelin' the Same Way") and the slower ones ("Come Away with Me"). She also does very well with songs that are in unusual time signatures, like "The Long Day is Over" (6/8) and "The Nearness of You" (12/8). One reviewer mentioned that the song "Turn Me On" sounds a lot like a Leonard Cohen song ("Bird on a Wire"). I agree; but as "Turn Me On" is a cover, this is does not show Jones to be derivative.

My only real complaint is that the middle third of this album just isn't as strong as the rest of it. "Come Away with Me" and "Shoot the Moon" aren't the strongest songs on the album, and "Turn Me On" pales in comparison to "Cold Cold Heart" and "The Nearness of You". Additionally, the lyrics are weak in places.

Be that as it may, this album is a breath of fresh air in the stale music industry. At its best moments, this album is as beautiful as anything that has been released in years. Norah Jones is going nowhere but up, which is a very good thing.

I hate to be a killjoy and rain on your parade, but "Come Away With Me" fell tremendously short of my expectations. It's worse than a bad record; it's a bad record that squanders its potential to be good. The media hype, Grammy nominations, and chart success finally made me run and grab Norah's CD. I listened with as open a mind as possible, and after just 10 minutes my faith headed south. Jones is an able piano player, but she and veteran producer Arif Mardin follow the rules of making a jazz vocal record so slavishly that "Come Away With Me" offers almost no surprises. The disc takes off on a promising note with "Don't Know Why," a warm and seductive number that fits Norah's voice like a hand in leather glove. But after that, the album lapses into a comatose state from which it never fully recovers. The production lacks dimension; the arrangements are predictable, and Norah's voice ultimately lacks the urgency to give life to the lyrics. "Turn Me On," "I've Got To See You Again," and the "Nearness of You" all start off well, but they ultimately lack substance, nuance, and depth. Those who listen exclusively to Top 40 radio will swear to high heaven that "Come Away With Me" is the best thing since sliced bread. But more seasoned, mature, and well-rounded listeners will sigh, "heard it all before." If you truly crave for jazz, get the newly remastered deluxe edition of John Coltrane's "A Love Supreme" or the superb compilation "Verve Unmixed," which features a smattering of vocal artists from the Verve label. Otherwise, save your money.

Got this album as a gift, and haven't stopped playing it! What a sparkling debut from the stunning-looking songstress who's still only 22. Norah Jones is that rare presence in the pop charts - a cool throwback to the great jazz era singers such as Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald. Without the overdone ornamentation of the big orchestra sound of those days, the stripped down bluesy feel of her band - just a basic guitar, bass, drums combo who accompany her accomplished piano playing - bring out the haunting melodies of her songs and highlight that sultry hoarse-sweet voice of hers. Three of the songs were written by the talented Ms Jones herself - including the title track Come Away With Me. All bear that unmistakable raw, dreamy sound. An old soul with her heart achingly in the past, Norah Jones is going to be a major new star of the future.

Her voice is very emotive, without being showy or over-the-top. The songwriting is top-notch. The arrangements are uncluttered.

"Don't Know Why" has got to be one of the most unlikely pop hits of 2002, and for me, that makes it all the more endearing. The song opens the album, and no matter how many times I've heard it already I always enjoy hearing it again.

This is by no stretch of the imaginative a "jazz album", as some have mis-labeled it. It sort of defies categorization. Full of great melodies and tasteful musicianship, there is a certain timelessness to this album. It could have been recorded and released decades ago, and it's very reassuring to see that it has found such a wide audience in this era.

WOW! I thought Nora Jones was going to be boring, but I was sure wrong! When I first heard her CD, I thought it all sort of sounded the same, but after listening to it more, I found it surprisingly relaxing. Very refreshing in a world filled with annoying, teenybopper pop. Her songs are simple, have great lyrics and sound kind of old-timey.
The first song "Don't Know Why" is remarkable and sets the tone for the rest of the CD. The second, "Seven Years" has cute lyrics and it so low-key and soothing. "Cold, Cold Heart" is also a beautiful song. "Feeling the Same Way" has a catchy melody, and I often find myself singing along. "Come Away with Me", the title track was written by Norah Jones, and I absolutely love it, especially the lyrics. "Shoot the Moon" and "Turn Me On" are also two of my favorites, where she takes her voice to another level. The rest of the songs on the CD are also magnificent. This is worth your money!

What a wonderfully easy, haunting sound. My muscles relax when I hear her opening "Come Away with Me". Great summer CD, right up there with James Taylor's Greatest Hits. She's a cross between Ricky Lee Jones and Edie Brickell. Great new talent with an old soul sound.