The Sultana of Soft Rock, Norah Jones, is back and seems eager to offer some heavier fare.
Teaming up with producer Danger Mouse (the other half of Gnarls Barkley, Black Keys' El Camino technician) and fueled by recent break-up, Ms. Jones's new album, Little Broken Hearts, dismisses the usual lightness of her earlier works to dive introspectively into the aftermath of a relationship.
Harnessing both anger and sorrow, Jones creates a convincing album dealing with the subject of a break-up, which has had its fill of late over the past year or so. For example, Adele's 21 is becoming the modern paragon for the jilted everywhere after it won the Grammy for Best Album and is now inching closer and closer to Diamond certification. Because so many of these albums are floating around, this motif is starting to become cliche.
Likewise, Danger Mouse does not really lend too much to the instrumentals. Many of the songs have the same fuzz-guitar vibe as El Camino; there's not much of an effort to distance himself from his latest project.
What makes this album stick to become something more than a copy is Jones herself, who handles her emotions with such grace and alacrity while keeping her own qualities. The result of which is an experiment concerning how far she can push her own exceptional talents.
"After the Fall" is a track is a track on which Jones shines in particular. Reminiscent of R&B and soul from the early '70s, she pines over her broken relationship, reflecting if it was worth the pain she feels now.
Jones also branches out into country, something she regularly plays outside of her solo career. In an attempt to get away from thinking about her ex, Jones decides to head out on a aimless highway journey on "Out on the Road." An Americana tune mixed in with some surf, it's easy to see this song on the soundtrack of some long-lost Tarantino film. This is a good track for the producer as well. When Danger Mouse tries a different path on instrumental, it just sounds more genuine.
The thing to take away from Little Broken Hearts is that, even though some things are banal, Jones once again breaks through and forces the public to take notice. Her old soul and artistry makes even the most precarious projects a beautiful listen.
For Your Consideration: "After the Fall," "Out on the Road."
For Next Time: Sorry. Dunno. My apologies for the short review. I got held up unexpectedly tonight, and I thought better short than never.
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