Norah Jones - Come Away with Me

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, All Music Guide

Name Credits Adam Levy Guitar (Electric), Guitar (Acoustic) Adam Rogers Guitar Arif Mardin Producer, String Arrangements, Mixing Bill Frisell Guitar (Electric) Brandon Mason Assistant Engineer Brian Bacchus A&R Brian Blade Percussion, Drums Bruce Lundvall A&R Chris Cofoni A&R Craig Street Producer Dan Rieser Drums David Swope Assistant Dick Kondas Assistant Engineer Eden White Production Coordination Eli Wolf A&R Gordon Jee Creative Director Husky Huskolds Engineer Jay Newland Remixing, Mixing, Engineer, Producer Jenny Scheinman Violin Jesse Harris Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric) Jesse Harris & the Ferdinandos Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric) Jessica Novod Art Direction, Design Joanne Savio Photography Kenny Wollesen Drums Kevin Breit Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric), National Steel Guitar, Guitar Lee Alexander Bass Mark Birkey Assistant Engineer Mark Wilder Mastering Norah Jones Wurlitzer, Piano, Producer, Piano (Electric), Vocals Rob Burger Organ (Pump), Accordion Sam Yahel Organ (Hammond) Shell White Production Coordination Ted Jensen Mastering Todd Parker Assistant Engineer, Mixing Assistant Tony Scherr Guitar (Acoustic), Slide Guitar Zach Hochkeppel Product Manager