NORAH JONES レコード& CD

Review: The widely adored jazz and pop crooner Norah Jones is back with another super soothing new album. Vision arrives on the legendary Blue Note and is the ninth full-length from the singer-songwriter but the first in collaboration with Leon Michels who is an instrumental maestro behind the El Michels Affair. He brings plenty of musical richness and charming hooks and melodies to the smoky and soulful vocals of Jones. All 12 tunes are vibrant and joyous as Jones sings about feeling free, wanting to dance, making it right, and acceptance of what life brings. It's a more uplifting work following on from the melancholic vibe of her last outing Pick Me Up Off The Floor which was released early in the early pandemic days of 2020.

Review: Despite her superstar status, gained in the years following her 2002 debut, Norah Jones has refused to stick to the same musical script, instead choosing a wide range of collaborators while applying her song writing talents to a variety of genres. On Visions, she's once again evolved her sound further in cahoots with producer Leon Michels - founder of revivalist funk-soul stable Big Crown Records and long-time member of the Dap-Kings. What's on offer is pleasingly fuzzy and nostalgic in tone, with the pair conjuring up songs and sound worlds rooted in late 60s garage-soul, psychedelic dream pop, and a brand of Americana rooted as much in black American music as country. For proof, check superb recent singles 'Running' and 'Staring at the Wall'.