New Norah Jones coming 2/10!!! (1 Viewer)

[Jeff Adams]

No SACD???? That is just ridiculous! I love her Come Away With Me SACD, it probably gets played the most out of all my other SACD's. Unfortunately I feel that is the way SACD and DVD-AUDIO are headed. I was going to spend even more money and get a combo player, but why? These two formats will probably be dead in two years.

 

[Jeff Adams]

But on a positive note, a new Norah Jones album is coming out soon!!! Can't wait.

 

[kevitra]

I heard her in an interview about six months ago say something along the lines of "the next album is a snoozer just like the first one."

I have not been on this forum for a couple of months. I see that the 'no one cares about SACD/DVDA' is still going on. I have to agree that people don't care about either.

Look at HDTV - my coworkers are talking about it, TV stations are promoting it before big games, and even WalMart sells them. SACD? Nothing minues a few magazine articles. I like both formats, but I have a feeling they are both going to be niche formats.

 

[Angelo.M]

"Going to be?"

How about "are."

And, you know, there's nothing wrong with that.

 

[kevitra]

You are correct. I should have said "they will never be anything more than niche formats."

There was a listening session performed in California this past weekend. It consisted of some very high end gear and around 6 people. One of the memebers decided to do a blind test, but none of the participants knew what was changing in the system, they were just supposed to pick which they preferred. The CD was Norah.

Everyone but one participant liked "A" over "B". Guess what A and B were..."A" was redbook and "B" was SACD 2 channel.

After being told the difference was RedBook vs SACD, they listened again. They still preferred the redbook.

 

[Angelo.M]

We agree with respect to the "niche format" status of hi-rez.

But, kevitra, I think you may have just smashed Pandora's box open with a hammer!

 

[Lee Scoggins]

All this tells me is that they did not have a high resolution stereo system.

The difference between redbook and Super Audio is dramatic on a good system. Even my friends with no refined listening skills can hear a big difference.

Is there a link to the coverage of the event? Do we know anything about the participants or the gear used?

 

[ElevSkyMovie]

If the SACD wasn't mastered as well as the cd, maybe the listeners did prefer the cd over the SACD. Could also happen with dvd-audio.

 

[Marc Colella]

Lee,

You have stated in the past that on a lower end system (even a boombox) many would hear and prefer the difference offered on SACD over the CD counterpart. Why would a "high resolution stereo system" even be needed?

 

[Michael Hartwig]

I have the Norah Jones SACD and find that the multichannel mode is really not good at all. It seems muted and the omph just isn't there. It does not even come close to Beck's Sea Change. In 2 channel the Jones SACD sounds much better, but not that much better than the CD; which I think was well recorded.
Blaming sound quality on lesser equipment is ridiculous. If a recording is not good, it is not good; period.

 

[Angelo.M]

I like the first record as much as the next guy, but I had hoped we'd see a few cuts along the lines of her cover of "Bessie Smith," from the live DVD. That's the only performance on the DVD that feels loose and less 'adult-contemporary', and it's my favorite.

 

[ElevSkyMovie]

I want the John Mayer SACD we were promised 6 months ago, first. Sony needs to get their head out of their ass.

 

[Lee Scoggins]

Cut 'em some slack dude. You don't even kow what the holdup is. It may not be their fault at all.

 

[Chris]

I notice it's already available for sale on ITunes.. hmm.. I've listened through a few, interesting.

 

[Craig: Mclaren]

Great news. A real talent and a very sexy lady to boot (insert wolf whistle here!)

 

[ElevSkyMovie]

Lee,

Maybe I was a bit harsh. However, Mayer is one of Columbia's hottest acts. If Sony can't deliver on something that has the potential to really sell, then where are there priorities at?

 

[Ron Reda]

Kyle,

I do too, but unfortunately, I don't see it selling all that well as the redbook was released a while back. Other than those of us that really want to hear some Mayer on SACD, I'm not so sure that the 18-24 demographic will double-dip just for the hi-res layer. Similar situation to Norah's first release...

 

[Marc Colella]

A co-worker who writes music reviews managed to get a promo copy of Feels Like Home.

He let me borrow the CD for a couple days, and I have to tell you that I am VERY impressed.

It's tough to produce a follow-up to Come Away With Me and on the first listen - I thought Feels Like Home was a mixed bag. The sophmore curse perhaps?
However, after the second spin - I was hooked.

She does 3 covers on this one: Be Here To Love Me, The Long Way Home and Don't Miss You At All - which is Duke Ellington's instrumental "Melancholia" with lyrics added.

Norah mixes it up with some jazz, country/bluegrass and a touch of blues.
There are some really strong songs on here that are very addictive.

Her previously recorded song, What Am I To You (not on the last CD), get's redone here with a more bluesy feel and she pulls it off (with help from her friends).

She also does a few slower tempo'd songs that are quite nice, and does a bluegrass-inspired duet, Creepin' In with Dolly Parton!... and it's damn good!

It's great to see that Norah managed to stay away from a formula and gives us something fresh - while at the same time playing to her strengths from the first CD.

I'm picking this up on it's release day.

Highly Recommended.

 

[Ron Reda]

Marc,

As if I wasn't already chomping at the bit to check out her new CD, reading you mini-review has gotten me all the more excited. I can't imagine the pressure an artist feels when trying to follow up an album of this magnitude, so it's nice to hear that you think it's a worthy successor and moves her in a positive musical direction. Dang I can't wait for this one!

 

[Ron Reda]

Even though it was just released today, I can't believe no one else has commented on this CD! It's only on its second go-round in my player and it's already growing on me. I really haven't had a chance to critically listen to it (although it sounds quite good) nor have I learned all of the songs besides the first track ("Sunrise"), but I was easily able to hear how she has matured as an artist. It seems as though she's giving the fans more of what we want (the "breathy" vocal over jazz and folk tunes) yet at the same time, leading us in new directions (country and bluegrass). Consider me impressed. I agree with Marc's review above...highly recommended!