RFD: Norah Jones & Her Ilk

You forgot to mention that she's Ravi Shankar's daughter -- a fact I'm sure she's sick to death of people pointing out.

Personally speaking, I just think she's this year's Fiona Apple, but I will say this to her credit.....she's got lovely eyes.

Alex, I didn't bring her lineage up because it's totally irrelevant. Elijah Blue Allman is CHER'S SON - that don't shed a whole lot of light on Deadsy (unless you're looking for some dysfunctional angle to explain the nu-wave crapitude of such shenanigans).

And if you could please explain & justify your comparison to Fiona Apple (outside of similar chromosome pairings, and a taste for 88 keys), please do - past the superficial details, the comparison sounds like bunk to me.

Oh, and that "she's a fad, but she's cute - thank God for that" stance - Christ, that's so condescending and insufferable. (I'm not a hypocrite, but I play one on the Internet.)

I think she's wonderful... there's this whole folk thing going on, too, which sets her aside (or above, imo) from the Diana Krall crowd. It's a lovely disc, and Jones' delivery is far more nuanced than Apple, McLachlan, or the vast majority of the other singing girls.

Fair enough, Daver. I think the Fiona Apple comparison isn't too unreasonable, given both artist's smokey-voiced chanelling of a sort've Billie Holliday/Nina Simone aesthetic. Apple seems to have moved away from that with her more recent work (where has she gone, anyway?), but listen back to, say, "Shadow Boxer" and/or "Sullen Girl" and tell me that it's that markedly different from what Norah Jones is doing today. I'm not saying Norah isn't worthy or talented - her oft- cited "jazz chops" probably trump Apple's by a country mile, but I don't find her necessarily doing anything that different. Whatever. It all sounds like perfectly pleasant wallpaper, but that's my opinion.

And I didn't "thank God" for her "cuteness". I merely observed that she has nice eyes. Don't get your knickers in a twist.

Alex, it's my body type - I can't help it.

heh heh heh...my condolonces.

Seriously, I'm just playing Devil's Advocate to your swooning praise of her in an admittedly cynical way to conjure debate. I brought up her family connection precisely BECAUSE it's irrelevant. My agenda dictates that the world doesn't NEED any more artists like Norah Jones and Alicia Keys, as to my ears, it's ground that's been well covered, but maybe I'm being too harsh. I don't really think the world was crying out for Deadsy either.

I think I'll go on my lunch break and listen to her at a Virgin listening station. Smokey, jazzy vocals I love; Diana Krall is a bore, though... hopefully she's not like that.

Diana Krall's last couple albums might suck, but 'All For You' and 'Love Scenes' are great little trio records. She's not a flashy and/or developed player, but the first four or five songs on 'Love Scenes' swing mighty hard.

What are "knickers"?

billie holiday/nina simone aesthetic ? i don't really hear that. but in the sulleness of her delivery, and the way she under-sings there's something vaguely like hope sandoval.

but she looks too much like my (recent) ex. so flit away from vh1 when the video comes on.