Norah Jones is the queen of versatility, and she demonstrates that wondrously on her new album, …Featuring. Every track is a gem, featuring a plethora of different sounds from big band jazz with the Dirty Dozen Brass Band to mellow pop with Ryan Adams and some good ole’ country with Dolly Parton.
While college students are not quite ready to let go of the unseasonally warm autumnal weather and forge ahead into winter, Jones was clearly ready to move past her last release, the successful The Fall in order to usher in …Featuring. The pure musicality found on the album is enough to impress, but Jones’ own talent never gets eclipsed.
The CD is a compilation of collaborations from Jones’ career, spanning from 2001 to 2010. It is a true testament to her ability to dabble in multiple genres and will likely please any open-minded music fan.
The jazz songs are the ones that really stand out in this collection, as they allow Jones to bask in her true element. She successfully tries her hand at the blues on the superbly desperate, “Love Me,” a collaboration with The Little Willies that lets her show off her famously soulful vocals.
Her collaboration with the Dirty Dozen Brass Band – “Ruler of My Heart” – is like a trip back into the days of big bands and sultry singers. The smooth, sax-ornamented “More Than This” is a great samba-esque piece that allows Jones to shine and Charlie Hunter to croon as nicely as a saxophone can, and “Here We Go Again” is an outstanding collaboration with Ray Charles, organ solo and all. And Herbie Hancock is always fantastic as far as tuning goes, so the smoky “Court & Spark” is just about pitch-perfect for the seasoned jazz fan.
On the pop side of things, Jones’ collaboration with The Foo Fighters, “Virginia Moon,” is a sedate duet full of delicate harmonies that could easily be mistaken for music in a darkened jazz club. In stark contrast to that is the bouncy, reggae feeling of Sean Bones’ collaboration, “Turn Them,” although it is by no means less enjoyable. For indie lovers, there is the lovely and lyrical “Little Lou, Ugly Jack, Prophet John,” a collaboration with Belle and Sebastian, as well as a wonderfully simple cover of Roy Orbison’s “Blue Bayou,” with M. Ward.
Country fans will enjoy Willie Nelson’s contribution of “Baby It’s Cold Outside,” which features some wonderful guitar from the country legend, as well as the tight instrumentals and traditional country sound of Jones’ collaboration with Dolly Parton, “Creepin’ In.” There is also the mellower “Bull Rider,” a tribute to Johnny Cash sung by Jones and Sasha Dobson, and the angelic “Loretta,” featuring Gillian Welch and David Rawlings.
Just to prove there’s a little something for everyone, …Featuring also contains a few hip-hop tunes, like the subtle and sultry “Take Off Your Cool” featuring Andre 3000, Q-Tip’s breezy collab, “Life Is Better” and Talib Kweli’s smooth “Soon the New Day.”
This album also features the slow and soulful “The Best Part,” a taste of Jones’ own band and one of the least notable songs in the collection. In the midst of these wonderful collaborations, it actually serves as quite a disappointment, an unfortunate weak link for …Featuring.
Anyone with an ear for quality music and an open mind will enjoy this album. Norah Jones displays a great amount of versatility and talent, and …Featuring is a must-have for any loyal fan, or simply a lover of great music.
4 out 5 stars
