The typeface on the jacket, announcing the girl with the faraway eyes, will find resonance in the vocal strains inside the album. Norah Jones, for a 22-year-old debutante, is a classic find. Her voice, comparable to female music beacons of the day before, is akin to a compound of Macy Grey and Dido.
The songs herein could loosely be classified as the offspring of jazz, but there are few which escape this index to find acquaintance with low-key country.
But before the lyrics, whose poetry is sheer and translucent, before the musical affluence of a modest, yet capable, quartet of players comes the intensity and viscosity of vocals. "Feelin' The Same Way", "Come Away With Me", "Nightingale" are among the finest here, though "I've Got To See You Again", with its halting music and contemporary vibes, gives you an idea of honeyed light shining out of an alleyway pub where the record plays.
The fourteen tracks on the album witness a mellowed genius who could, if she wanted to, easily her musical range, but chooses to create a silent storm within her set peripheries.
This article was first published on10 Jun 2002.