The best avoid self-indulgence, and leave listeners room to recognize their own lives in what they’re hearing.īob Dylan’s “Blood on the Tracks,” Marvin Gaye’s “Here, My Dear,” Fleetwood Mac’s “Rumours,” the Cure’s “Disintegration,” Kanye West’s “808s & Heartbreak,” Amy Winehouse’s “Back to Black,” Adele’s “21” and Bruce Springsteen’s “Tunnel of Love” are some that come to mind. There’s a rich history of artists pouring romantic torment into songs or albums. What more can I say that would be better than that?” ”I’ve just given you a whole album encapsulating the emotions and the inner workings of my brain. “Why do you need me to talk about my relationships?“ she said. She didn’t like those questions then - or now. Her reticence is evident when Jones is asked about how the real people who inspired the stories felt about the album. She’s resisted referring to this as a heartbreak album - even though “broken hearts” appears in two song titles - because Jones worries that characterization overshadows the music and misses some of the playfulness. “It happens to the best of us,” Jones said over lunch in an outdoor cafe. What one critic, Mark Saleski, found even more stunning than the musical shift was “this mind-boggling idea: Somebody cheated on Norah Jones.” I hope they like it, and she doesn’t lose a bunch of fans.” When done, Burton told Rolling Stone magazine that the album was “obviously very different than anything Norah’s ever done. “And I’ll keep saying it, until you die.” “Miriam, it’s such a pretty name,” she sings. The work culminated in the song “Miriam,” at once mesmerizing and kind of creepy, where she fantasizes about killing her rival. “So it didn’t feel like going into this vulnerable place with a stranger,” she said. “I felt so comfortable with him because we were already friends, and we had already spent the last few years meeting up every once in a while, having a drink, talking about relationships and stuff. “He likes that kind of dark music, but I was just up for anything, you know?” she said. Under his direction, she told the stories in a hushed voice. The songs are simple, direct and tell a cohesive story both lyrically and musically.Īt the beginning of the process, Burton asked whether Jones was willing to go someplace darker than she’d previously been. They collaborated mostly alone in a studio for two months and the strengths of that approach became evident. That seems, to an outsider, a little disorganized, haphazard. He liked to go into the studio with nothing written and see what happens. She had asked him to produce music she had written for a previous album, but he declined. She worked with Brian Burton, the producer known as Danger Mouse whose edgy imprint was evident on discs by Gnarls Barkley, Broken Bells, the Black Keys and Beck. On the musical “Dear John” letter, a resigned Jones sings of “folding my hand.” You learn why in the ensuing 11 songs, as the rough outlines of a betrayal story emerge. The Jones who approached 2012’s “Little Broken Hearts” was in her early 30s and just off “one of my more dramatic break-ups.” Her voice seemed weary in the song “Good Morning,” which sounded like dawn breaking on a sleepless night. It was music so pleasing and inoffensive, it offended some. It has sold a staggering 23.7 million copies. Her sumptuous voice was everywhere in the early 2000s, songs from her jazz-inflected debut “Come Away With Me” pouring out of speakers in living rooms, boutiques and restaurants. I also think that for people who weren’t really on board with me or my music, some of them liked it when they didn’t like the rest of my stuff, and I always thought that was kind of fun and funny.” “It’s one of my favorite things I’ve ever done. It’s a little gem where she tested herself to leave a musical comfort zone to process romantic turmoil - and ended up with a concise, consistent statement that rivals some classic heartbreak albums. Both ended up at the bottom of a lake.Ī decade after its release, the disc stands as an island in Jones’ career. One victim was a lying, cheating boyfriend, the other his temptress. NEW YORK (AP) - A sign of how much “Little Broken Hearts” represented a departure for Norah Jones was that she filmed not one, but two music videos for the album depicting herself as a murderer.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |