Seldom does an artist emerge who’s able to equally satisfy purists and populists, critics and fans. But that’s always been the case with remarkable vocalist and pianist Norah Jones. Through seven studio LPs, Jones has had huge hits, while also earning repeated critical acclaim. Her latest tour, which comes to Ascend Amphitheater on Wednesday, celebrates the 20th anniversary of Come Away With Me, her stunning debut LP on Blue Note. It was a magical release, signaling the arrival of a performer whose approach and style couldn’t be neatly or easily categorized. That remains the case today.
Jones has a poignant, powerful way of phrasing lyrics, exceptional timing and an elegant, gorgeous, soulful sound that is equally suited to jazz standards, country covers, folk renditions and pop originals. You might think she was accustomed to a celebrity lifestyle, being the daughter of sitar legend Ravi Shankhar and concert promoter Sue Jones. But Jones’ parents split up when she was a youngster, and when Come Away With Me made her a global star in her early 20s, she chose to keep her personal life out of the spotlight, creating a relatively low profile that she has enjoyed since. The album, however, was a major boost for Blue Note, putting the longtime favorite label of the hardcore jazz faithful into new commercial territory. The LP sold a million copies in the first six months after its release — reaching a total of 12 million in the U.S. alone, and reportedly almost 30 million copies worldwide. It landed in the top 10 on all-genre charts in 20 countries, and in the No. 1 spot on most of them. It also earned multiple Grammy Awards, among them Album of the Year, Record of the Year for the smash-hit single “Don’t Know Why,” and a Best New Artist nod for Jones.
For many performers, following or maintaining that success would be difficult at best. Jones’ work, however, has only gotten more impressive over the past two decades. The idiomatic versatility evident throughout Come Away With Me has led to a dazzling array of memorable performances, including the emphatic and haunting political commentary of “My Dear Country,” the highlight of her third album Not Too Late from 2007. It’s continued in more recent releases, like the prickly, bluesy single “Carry On” from 2016’s Day Breaks and the brooding and yearning “Were You Watching?” from her 2020 album Pick Me Up Off the Floor. Jones also found time for an alt-country project called The Little Willies and a country-leaning trio called Puss N Boots, and to star in Wong Kar-wai’s 2007 romantic drama My Blueberry Nights. Her list of collaboration credits runs long as well, including a marvelous (and Grammy-winning) duet with Ray Charles on “Here We Go Again” from his 2004 LP Genius Loves Company and singing on her half-sister Anoushka Shankhar’s 2013 album Traces of You. In 2010, the compilation … Featuring Norah Jones collected tracks she’d performed on with OutKast, Belle and Sebastian, Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, Herbie Hancock, Charlie Hunter and more; it wouldn’t be a terrible idea to revisit with another decade’s worth of collaborations to choose from.
It’s been observed that the easygoing presentation of Jones’ music has helped it slip into the background. During a recent interview with Jones for NPR Music, critic Nate Chinen joked that Come Away With Me is an album you’ve surely heard while “standing in line at Starbucks.” However, you’d be hard-pressed to find on any of Jones’ albums a single tune that was rote, mundane or generic. Indeed, she’s such a musical chameleon that while jazz is clearly an influence and a major part of her musical sensibility, she’s never confined herself strictly to it. Still, the power and authority of Come Away With Me — a record you might compare to John Coltrane’s Giant Steps or James Brown’s Live at the Apollo with respect to how it has defined Jones’ career — is heavily centered on jazz.
In recognition of that, Jones’ current tour highlights an amazing reissue released at the end of April, Come Away With Me: 20th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition. The 44-track collection, available on three CDs or four vinyl LPs, both illustrates the broad spectrum of Jones’ capabilities and documents the blueprint Blue Note followed in making her such a star. Among other things, the set contains Jones’ own liner notes and memories of the sessions, plus demos and early takes on songs; in fact, there’s a complete first recording of the album, made with iconic vocalist Cassandra Wilson’s longtime producer Craig Street. This initial version of Come Away With Me was rejected — a decision with which Jones ultimately agreed — yet it helped producer Arif Mardin shape the final product. This epic set is a brilliant reminder that Jones’ singular magnificent talent always shines through.
