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

[Dan B]

Gave it a listen tonight. First impression is that the songs aren't as good as the stuff on the first album & the sound isn't as good either. (sounds somewhat compressed compared to the first-maybe partly the difference between the SACD of the first album & the CD of the second?) I HATE the song Creepin' In with Dolly Parton! Won't be listening to that tune again.

Otherwise, it sounds OK so far...a couple tracks I liked. I think I preferred the slight jazziness of the first album to the pop-country sound of the second one overall, but I'm sure it will grow on me with multiple listens...I'm often underwhelmed on first listen to an album I anticipate so much.

 

[Marc Colella]

Ron,

I'm glad you're enjoying her new CD.

I think it's one of those recordings that seems average on the first listen, but really needs a few more spins to appreciate how good it really is.

2 songs took longer to appreciate (Humble Me and Above Ground) then the other songs - but they've grown on me.

As Dan stated, I don't think the sonics on this new one aren't as good as on Come Away With Me. Don't know if it's because it's less jazzy and has some electric piano and guitar - but it does feel a little more compressed than what I would except. I give it about 7.5/10 in the sonics.

 

[Lee Scoggins]

Marc,

Thanks for the review. Now that I am back in town, I have to pick this up. I saw today that Rolling Stone gave it four stars as well, if that still means something.

 

[Dan B]

That's interesting Marc. Above Ground is one of the songs I really liked on the first listen.

 

[Marc Colella]

Uh-oh... maybe I have to rethink my impressions of the CD now.

 

[Jason Garrett]

I like it. A really nice complement of instrumentation in my opinion. I kinda like the alt country genre though - Kelly Willis being probably my all time favorite live act. Not that this is all alt country, but I think it has some feel of that kind of music. From my perspective anyway. I haven't caught on to the lyrics yet, so there may be more or less to like about it, but I really like the sound. This is the kind of thing I like to listen to. Relaxing and with Norah's vocals - very sexy!

I've got Ascend CMB-170's that are generally very, very good with vocals, but I'm worried that maybe I've damaged my speakers recently. I've been in a habit of playing them (5) in all channel stereo and just hammering them out with my Onkyo TX-SR700 (as much as it will hammer - only like up to 80-90 at the most). Anyway, a couple of tracks on this album are leading me to believe that I'm hearing a bit of distortion. Her vocals seem to be clipping a bit - track 2 'What Am I To You' seems to reveal it the most. Is anyone hearing anything like that? It seems that her voice is the only thing that makes me think I'm hearing it. Is there an explanation why I think I'm hearing that besides my speakers being damaged? This is the first that I've picked up on it.

 

[Ron Reda]

I did notice something like this last night on track 2 as well. Except for me, it wasn't the vocals, it was the background instruments, specifically the guitar. Perhaps it was the type of distortion that they were using with the amp, but I could've sworn I heard something. I'll have to listen more critically tonight.

 

[Jason Garrett]

I listened again this morning to track 2 and found that possibly there is just a strange convergence of background vocals and the Wurlitzer that produce a near distortion like sound to MY ears. I'm fairly certain that on track 2 at about 2:21 and 2:44 my system isn't producing what is intended. If I turn on the pure audio mode - no sub, you know, - the extra attention/power clears up what I'm hearing, but with my Onkyo in stereo - it's not making it happen. Maybe my receiver is what is damaged? It sounds clear in pure audio mode. Maybe I'm trying to hear something wrong so I can justify starting a plan to finance a Rotel amp and dump the Onkyo amplifier section

Track 10, 'Above Ground', is a treat of imagery to my novice ears. I love the way it starts out. Guitar on the right, kick drum or something booms, and the other drums seem to be far in the rear - then her vocals jump right out in your face. I like that kind of stuff.

 

[Citizen87645]

Yeah, I definitely heard that distortion/clipping thing, which made me all the more disappointed in the lack of a high-res (non-vinyl) release. I also have an Onkyo (575x so I don't have a pure audio option).

I guess it could be the conflict of vocal with the wurlitzer, but wouldn't that mean that one of the two notes at that moment are out of tune?

I'll try it through my headphones and report if there's any difference.

 

[Citizen87645]

I wonder if some tracks were produced and engineered by different people.

 

[Citizen87645]

Okay. Interesting. Playing stereo through my "A" speaker set (JBL S38s, which have midrange cones) definite distortion around 1:00 of Track 2 with the beginning of the chorus and subsequent times after.

Listening through the headphones, nothing. Sound isn't anything to die for - "typical" Redbook. Playing through the "B" speaker set (JBL S26s, which only have tweeters and 6" woofers), located in another room, also nothing. Playing back in the main room in five channel stereo, also nothing.

The distortion or resonating seems to be in the mid range and my five channel mode seems to pull out some of those frequencies, making things brighter for most recordings. I thought the Jones CD sounded better in five channel, if anything for the absence of that resonating.

 

[Jason Garrett]

Well, I think we are finding deficiencies in our systems....not that it's a bad thing to be listening critically to the point of finding them, but my estimation is that we are probably finding limitations in the systems that we are listening to the recording with.

I hate to come off like I'm trying to be some kind of 'audiophile' or something, but I do believe that I've found damage in my stereo while listening to this recording. I'm a bit surprised in finding it as I just last week listened to Joss Stone fairly critically and didn't find any distortion of any kind.

 

[Citizen87645]

Being that it is just the Jones CD I've noticed this with, then I am still inclined to suspect the CD, not the system. My system is not high end by any means, but having no problems until this CD and having no problems with media that truly do push the limits (e.g. SACD and DVD-A), then all signs still point to this particular release. And so far no information exists that says this release is a reference standard for Redbook CD, in which case I probably would suspect the system.

 

[Chris]

Just a brief review.. I enjoyed this album more then the last one, and found it strung together continuously better. Some of the moments are very well done, and there were quite a few stand outs for me A+

 

[Michael St. Clair]

Well, CD has a dynamic range that can cause hearing damage, so the format itself wouldn't be the problem. It is the recording or mastering that is to blame.

I usually expect good stuff from Blue Note, a shame some of the songs on the new CD are compressed.

 

[LanceJ]

I've finally seen her new video on VH1 a couple times now for Sunrise(?) and I like the music--it's very laid-back but not boring (i.e. not "audio wallpaper"). Its slight country flavor adds a nice homey feel to it. And the colorful video itself is a light & fun piece of eye candy to watch.

Good stuff.

LJ

 

[Dan B]

Just a quick note on the second track...I listened to it this morning from the headphone jack to my Sennheisers, so it's fresh in my mind - the vocals are a little bit hot on that one, plus the mid-range/mid-bass area is slightly boosted as well (the snare drum especially). I'm sure that's what you heard, along with your DSP mode's alteration of the sound. (I never use those!)

So far I like Sunrise, What Am I to You, Carnival Town, In The Morning, Be Here to Love Me, Above Ground, The Long Way Home, & Don't Miss You At All. That's 8 of 13 tracks, pretty good...but I don't really "love" anything yet...

I listened to the Come Away With Me SA-CD directly afterwords...the sound is better from top to bottom. The bottom end is smoother & fuller, the mid-range doesn't have that compressed sound of Feels Like Home - F.L.H. in comparison sounds like there's something physically in-between Norah & the microphone - obstructing her voice, & there's noticeably more resolution & extension in the upper frequencies on C.A.W.M. Guitars & drums have a "life" that isn't there on Feels Like Home (the crisp snap of the snare drum, the sound of a pick going across a guitar string etc.) FWIW, YMMV, etc. Not sure how much is the recording or how much is the difference between the 2 formats. I suspect it's a little of each.

 

[Rob Gillespie]

Can't say I'm as impressed with this album as I was with Come Away With Me. Gone is the sulty, jazz-esque (slightly) feel, replaced instead with a country twang.

If anyone was looking for something along the lines of the first album, I highly recommend Katie Melua's Call Off The Search.

 

[Paul_Medenwaldt]

I agree there isn't much here for a jazz fan. It mostly has a country twang. If I wanted this type of music I'd throw in a Alison Kraus CD.

Paul

 

[Rob Gillespie]

I wouldn't say I was a jazz fan as-such, but I do like the kind of sound heard on Norah's first album, Diana Krall etc.

However one recent addition to the collection which is definitely in jazz land is Amy Winehouse's Frank.