Feels Like Home

"Come Away With Me" was a hard act to follow but Norah has scored some extra points from me on this album. In my view, the tracks are different from "Come Away With Me". They are more kind of bluesy/folky/Cagean/ballady genres all rolled into the one album. I must confess though, it has taken me a few playings to become firmly attached to the tracks and appreciate them fully. Now, I can't stop listening.

All of the tracks are excellent but I do have my favourites which I rate as follows:

1. What Am I To You - wonderfully bluesy - 10/10
2. Those Sweets Words - beautifully sung ballad - 9/10
3. Be Here To Love Me - fabulously emotional - 10/10
4. Creepin' In - duet with Dolly Parton - Cagean feel - 10/10
5. Humble Me - great rendition by Norah - touching - 10/10
6. Above Ground - very powerful ballad - love it - 10/10
7. The Long Way Home - this one is made for Norah - 10/10
8. The Prettiest Thing - Norah's soft style, wonderful - 10/10

The other musical participants in the album are also to be congratulated. At first I thought to myself, Norah and Dolly in a duet - strange brew indeed. They carry "Creepin' In" off to perfection.

This is an excellent album. My hope for Norah is that she goes from strength to strength but does not get caught up in the pop music scene. As long as she continues to produce the kind of music that she likes, she will become stronger and stronger. I have been a big fan for quite some time.

Of the current crop of female vocalists, I think Norah the best by a mile. However, she is still some way behind my firm No.1 favourite, Eva Cassidy. No-one comes close to Eva. Her sad passing has left the world a little less richer for her musical contribution.

Music lover
Jenny

The opening track on the album is the cheery and upbeat "Sunrise" and plays like some sort of background extract from the award winning Balamb Garden's Soundtrack. It is perhaps the strongest song on the album. Paced and snappy, forwarded with harmonic vocals whisping "Who?"

"What am i to you?" Follows. It is much more familiar to the original album than Sunrise, an eclectic and smooth spell with a notable guitar solo.

"Those Sweet Words" is another strong up-point. It is one of few Norah Jones songs that can really, truly, deeply illict emotion. A song that plays with chords and pulls on the strings of the listeners hearts that somehow pulls a feeling of familarity, lyrically of course, as it is clear from Feels Like Home that Norah Jones has originality.

"Carnival Town" is a slower paced, more repetitive task. It feels very French, like something out "Amelie" played slower, with a guitar, next to a campfire. Its warm, and even humourous in its "Merry-Go-Round" rondo form. However, the repetative nature combined with a slow pace can mean that it feels repetitive.

"In The Morning"
This one is more urban than anything else. It closely follows a city feeling and follows through with the tone through the lyrics.

"Be Here To Love Me"
This track snap's back to "Come Away With Me" again, but again uses a community of harmonising voices to add more depth to Norah's sultry vocals.
Romantic, symbolic and sensual.

"Creepin' In"
Another up point. Norah speeds up tempo big time, and thats not all, she brings in Dolly Parton to duet. This is strongly country, but the song is upbeat and could become an instant country classic. Harmonising works wonderfully when youve got Dolly Parton doing the higher octave.

"Toes"
This is very "Slick avante garde" and plays an image of a tree-lined street in the middle of a city as its card. However lyrically, the song focuses strongly on geographical locations. Its a travelling anthem. It sounds like a tv theme tune to one of those slick thirty something dramas like Ally McBeal.

"Humble Me"
A very romantic, European feel follows through a wholesome, rich song created with just vocals and strings and mild percussion. It puts a positive sping on a seemingly negative situation. It sounds like a Michelle Branch work with alot more laid backness all round.

"Above Ground"
A little bit like a Joss Stone song slowed down, lots. Its not really a memorable track, and like Carnival Town, it becomes repetative.

"Long Way Home"
Country is back with Norah here. Another solid track. Simple, not to slow, and as we can tell from Feels Like Home, medium-slow tempo songs from Norah are usually much stronger than her so-slow editions. This one breathes elegance into country and is has so much volume from such a simple feeling. Peru meets Texas. Upbeat.

"Prettiest Thing"
Slow, silky, slighty like "Come Away With Me"s Painter Song. Strong.

"Dont Miss You At All"
Jazz. Pure and simple. Coffeehouse Jazz infact, its clearly designed to be the letdown after an astonishing album. Its so soothing that it could do what Norah Jones' original did and relax you to sleep!

OVERALL
An astonishing second serving from Norah Jones that is even superior to her original, Come Away With Me.
Greatness and will become an instant bestselling classic worldwide.
The album is undoutably more earthy and country and eclectic than the original, it plays somewhat like "Amelie" does as a movie. It has points that fall short of the original with a repetitive set of fillers, but the fillers are only repetitive because similar tracks were used in the same way in the first. However Norah's new trackset is a much more upbeat and quirky experience than the mellow Come Away With Me. It is though instantly evident that nothing from Norah in the future or present will have the impact of the classic "Come Away With Me"
Good on you Norah Jones!

5/5

There are some great songs, such as Sunrise, Humble Me and Those Sweet Words, and surprisingly Creepin' In, even though this is the most countryish song on the album, I still love it.

However, most of the other tracks are a little bit dull, even by her standards.

Overall, I would get it, but don't expect it to be as good as the first album.