Not Too Late

Product Details

Artist : Norah Jones
Binding : Audio CD
EAN : 0094638203520
Label : EMI Music Canada
Number of Discs : 1
Product Group : Music
Release Date : 2007-01-30
UPC : 094638203520

ASIN : B000KCI73A

Track Listings for

Disc-1
1. Wish I Could
2. Sinkin' Soon
3. Sun Doesn't Like You
4. Until the End
5. Not My Friend
6. Thinking About You
7. Broken
8. My Dear Country
9. Wake Me Up
10. Be My Somebody
11. Little Room
12. Rosie's Lullaby
13. Not Too Late

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Editorial Reviews

From Amazon.com

Although the music of Norah Jones continues to blend pop, soul, folk, and country with a seasoning of jazz, her third album for Blue Note is the first where she's written (or collaborated on) all the material. Beneath the smooth surface lie darker strains on the album-opening "Wish I Could" (about a boyfriend lost to war), intimations of mortality in "The Sun Doesn't Like You," and the post-election horrors of "My Dear Country." The last seems to channel the inspiration of Brecht/Weill, while the equally bleak "Sinkin' Soon" is set to a jaunty Dixieland rag. Throughout, Jones's vocal intimacy and melodic warmth remain as disarmingly understated as ever. The soulful "Thinking of You," the countryish "Wake Me Up," and the syncopated "Be My Somebody" reflect the captivating style of her previous work. Although too much in the same midtempo mode becomes a dreamy lull, cut by cut, Jones's voice is irresistible. --Don McLeese

Customer Reviews

In the wee small hours... (2007-12-04)

Norah Jones's first two albums sold some 17 million and 10 million copies respectively, the kind of diminishing returns that even the flintiest of record company accountants can accept. Whether that level can be sustained with "Not Too Late" remains to be seen, but the subtle changes to her style here seem like a shrewd attempt to expand artistically without disturbing her core audience, most of whom will still be in the long, deep sleep triggered by her previous albums, anyway. That lullaby effect continues here - there's even a song called "Rosie's Lullaby" - but it's what's happening at the fringes of the record that's most interesting: things like the unusually intimate string arrangement created by The Kronos Quartet for "Broken", and the New Orleans rumba-rock undercarriage to "Be My Somebody", and its snaking slide-guitar break with the faintest of scorched edges. There are still plenty of languid cabaret shuffles, piano ballads and neutered blues, but few are as effective as "Sinkin' Soon", where Norah's joined by the simpatico M Ward on a stalking cakewalk of banjo, piano and sleazy muted trumpet. The highlights of this album, in my opinion , are: "Sinkin' Soon", "Be My Somebody", "Broken".

Smoky and sexy. (2007-12-04)

While the first two albums were dominated by covers, "Not Too Late" is all solo or co-written original material. It's not startling, as these songs continue her pop-meets-country with a dash of smoky cabaret style. Nor is it exactly revelatory. Firstly her life, apart from the fame, has been remarkably normal and uneventful and lyrically the new material is mostly observational. ("I have a wonderful boyfriend. So how am I going to write a tortured break-up song? My life is really good and I don't want to ruin it just for a good song."). Still, there are a few pointed lines about misplaced love and even some mild political commentary in "My Dear Country". The album has its share of strong tracks, like the Dylanesque "Wish I Could", with its unexpected half-note elisions, or the trad-jazzy Tom Waits-like "Sinkin' Soon", or the haunting, whimsical, cello-darkened "Broken". The mood is mostly dreamy, lazy country-rockers, quirky waltzes, a little earthy bluesiness and bits of laid-back funk, and there's even a demurely delivered anti-Bush song. Jones's voice, always more characterful than the easy-listening tag ever implied, sometimes shifts to a strange place between Madeleine Peyroux's or Diane Krall's jazzy smokiness and the sultry, jazz/soul balladry a la Billie Holiday or, at a very few times, a la Regina Belle. But Jones's and partner Lee Alexander's tunes need to improve if the singer isn't to retreat to covering classics again, as she almost certainly will. It's pretty music (though the sugary Little Room gets to tooth-twinge point), beautifully performed. But Norah Jones has more to offer than this, and the needs of the EMI boardroom probably won't help her find it. Enjoy.

Wistful and charming. (2007-12-04)

The divine Norah does not disappoint on her third album, while hardly setting the pulse racing or indulging in daring diversification. But why do anything other than what she clearly does better than anyone else, namely sophisticated jazzy pop oozing class through every groove. Her trusted team remain in place, although while Jesse Harris plays on the record, there are no writing credits for the man responsible for around half the tunes on her debut. She excels at easy-listening. Her first two albums sold millions and were the backdrop to many a middle-aged housewife and broken-hearted youth. But with such a solid formula, have Norah's calming tones just become dull ? With "Not Too Late", she manages to experiment a little. The soft blues continues, but she brings in mini additions - rumba beats and slide-guitars - to spruce things up. Of course, this is not a huge departure, nor a ground-breaking album, but it's wistful and charming and your mum will love it. Having said all that, you could listen to Miss Jones singing the TV listings and still feel all gooey inside.

A darker shade of Norah Jones (2007-02-15)

Norah Jones is an oddity in today's music business. Her main calling card as an artist is restraint, which by today's standards is usually the kiss of death. Her music is made by actual musicians, the production is minimalistic, her singing is gimmick-free and understated, and her repertoire is essentially composed of dreamy, romantic and slightly downbeat ditties. In spite of all this - or perhaps precisely BECAUSE of all this - she became one of the best-selling artists of the 2000s, sweeping Grammys and multi-platinum sales along the way. She got away with being different, probably because there wasn't much non-teen-oriented music out there."Not Too Late", her third album, continues in the same vein as its predecessors; but if anything, it makes the formula better. The album is more cohesive, more focused and definitely more personal, no doubt given Norah's increased input in songwriting (she has penned or co-penned all of the album's 13 tracks). The tone is decidedly darker, whether she's addressing conflicting emotions ("Thinking about you", "Wish I could") or the state of the world ("My dear country", "Sinkin' soon"). And although the album ends on the hopeful and sweet title track, the album leaves a lasting impression of sadness and beauty.Some will argue that her self-penned material doesn't always live up to the standards of some of Norah's past covers; while it's true that there's certainly nothing as instantly arresting as her debut single "Don't know why", it's clear that Norah has decided to follow a different path, closer to country, grass and blues. What this album lacks in catchiness, it certainly makes up for with an emotional depth that her other albums sometimes lacked. It will be interesting to see whether her public follows her in such musical explorations, but judging from the number one debut of this album on the Billboard charts, she just might - once again - get away with it.

Hit and miss album (2007-02-10)

I adored both of Norah Jones first two albums, but I was incredibly disapointed with her latest release. Many of the songs sound as though they were recorded in someone's basement. Some of the lyrics are difficult to understand and many border on absurd. The song 'Sinkin Soon' had me cringing and skipping to the next song in the hope that it would be better. After listening to the album I was quite depressed, a) as a result of the album not being anywhere near as good as I hoped, and b) the lyrics to many of the songs sounded like they were written while Norah Jones was in a very dark, gloomy, place. I am a die-hard Norah Jones fan, but quite frankly I wish I hadn't bought this CD. I give it two stars, and not 1, only because this one album should not be held against her.

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