Search - Norah Jones :: Feels Like Home (CD+DVD)

Simply Brilliance...Worth the Extra Dollars

Rudy Palma | NJ | 02/14/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

""Feels Like Home," Norah Jones' follow-up to her Grammy-guzzling 2002 debut "Come Away With Me," should please fans and win her new ones.



The disc is similar to its predecessor, but it also takes notable strides in other directions. If you found yourself dozing off to Jones' music in the past, there's a far less chance of doing it here, as the new album is less dreamy and languid.



The first evidence that Jones and her band are turning things up a notch is the urgent "What Am I To You?" -- a Jones original that features electric guitar. A more subdued version of the song appeared on certain Asian versions of "Come Away With Me."



The disc's tempo picks up far more with "In the Morning," a catchy contribution from band member Adam Levy. Later, we get to the happy-go-lucky "Creepin In," which features an excellent guest appearance by Dolly Parton. This is a fun track, and it's easy to imagine the two artists dancing arm in arm down a country road.



The disc also contains a handful of tracks that would have fit splendidly with the more uniform "Come Away With Me." One such tune is the melodic "Those Sweet Words," which is a perfect showcase for Jones' vocal talent. The priceless "Carnival Town" drips with as much sugar and charm as "Sunrise," with its laid-back arrangements and ethereal harmony.



"The Prettiest Thing" will relax you with its warmth and simplicity, and "Don't Miss You at All," which finds Jones writing her own lyrics to Duke Ellington's "Melancholia," makes a perfect closer to the album.



What the listener gets with "Feels Like Home" is pure musical excellence. The hype of Jones and her "Handsome Band" of skilled musicians is justified all the more with this release.



To top that off, the live performances in Madrid of "In the Morning" and "Long Way Home" are absolutely superb, as the pair have proven time and time again in concert performances to translate particularly well live. "Creepin' In" is also excellent, and the music videos for "Sunrise" and "What Am I To You?" are as enjoyable to watch as the interview (of a very charming, self-conscious Jones) that rounds out the bonus DVD is informative.



Furthermore, while "Sleepless Nights" and "I Turned Your Picture To the Wall," a track penned by Levy's late grandfather, are two bonafide gems to add to the "Feels Like Home" CD, "Moon Song" is by far the superior of the trio. Invoking a sense of a picturesque landscape eclipsed by nightfall the powerful fluorescence of the moon, this track epitomizes what makes Jones and the Handsome Band such a special group of musicians.



Whether or not you loved "Come Away With Me," there's something for everyone here.

"

Always delightful.

Javier Lopez | Peru | 11/30/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This re-release is very good, some people may say that it is not worth enoght to buy but I think that every re-release is for the fans or people who really likes the original version.

The difference between this Deluxe edition with the original are 3 bonus tracks and a bonus DVD with the videos of "SUNRISE" and "WHAT AM I TO YOU", live versions of "IN THE MORNING", "THE LONG WAY HOME", "CREEPING IN" and "SHE" which doesn't appear on this cd or in her first one. This live videos were taken on her show in Barcelona. Finally you get a 20 minute interview of Norah.

"FEELS LIKE HOME" is a great album as Norah's first, "COME AWAY WITH ME". Her music is very relaxed and her lyrics are very good also. This album contains a duet with Dolly Parton. The song leaves a bit behind Norah's jazz/pop music to a country style. Very good actually. Check the tracks "THOSE SWEET WORDS", "SUNRISE", "WHAT AM I TO YOU", "TOES" and "BE HERE TO LOVE ME"."

Why no SACD or DVD-Audio release of this CD?

Charlie | Rome, Italy | 11/26/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I bought the original CD Audio of Ms. Jones' first alblum, only to see it later released on SACD (Super Audio CD), which I then bought. The SACD is much much better sounding than the CD, so I have been waiting for an SACD or DVD-Audio version of Feels Like Home as well. SACD and DVD-Audio are as big an advance in sound quality over regular CD's as LP's were over 78's. SACD and DVD-Audio combine the best of CD's with the best features of all analog playback, whether vinyl or reel to reel. To get back to the point, all music, but particularly music as good as Ms. Jones' music, deserves SACD or DVD-Audio treatment. CD only release shortchanges the music, like releasing music only as MP-3's would."