Written by Fantasma el Rey
Norah Jones is back on the scene with her latest release, ...Featuring, a compilation of duets, cameos and collaborations that draws from material going back to 2001. No filler here, just work she’s very proud of that deserves to be heard. Now maybe it’s just me but everything this women works on is gold. Her vocals can be soothing and calm or excited and emotional, yet overall outstanding and beautiful. Bottom line, her voice is unique, and she fits well with the people she chooses to work with.
The collaborations on this new set cover a wide range of artists from all over the musical spectrum and there is never a dull moment. From the rolling opening piano and plaintive vocals on “Love Me” performed with her country side project The Little Willes, you know this is going to be a romp to remember. The pace slows and continues to show the path this record is taking as the lovely Miss Jones next teams up with Foo Fighters' Dave Grohl. Poor Norah thought this pairing would be her chance to rock but Grohl came in with the bossa nova ballad “Virginia Moon” that had "Norah Jones" written all over it. He does a good job at displaying his softer side. They carry this dreamy tune and sound awesome together.
Sean Bones and Norah got to work on a movie together then teamed up to do a song for the soundtrack and the reggae-tinged “Turn Them” was the outcome. It is a popping little ditty that kicks off like a slow, sad song but turns to the island rhythms and sets sail on the pair’s breezy vocal talents. Another breezy combo is Norah’s most recent work, “Little Lou, Prophet Jack, Ugly John,” with Belle & Sebastian. This vocal effort is high on her scale and had her fearing she would sound like Minnie Mouse. No chance there as one more dreamy tune hits the ears and draws us into the lyrics of “a lifetime of dreaming that extends to the heart.”
Norah’s creative spark also sets fire to tunes turned out by her and some of hip hop's brightest and most talented flames, which includes OutKast, Q-Tip, and Talib Kweli. The OutKast tune “Take Off Your Cool” is a simple acoustic guitar-led number that finds Norah and Andre 3000 repeating simple lyrics but simple things some times work best and are worth repeating.
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