Search - The Peter Malick Group featuring Norah Jones :: New York City ~The Remix Album~

Norah Jones (n.): Peter Malick's very own cash cow

Rudy Palma | NJ | 08/14/2004

(2 out of 5 stars)

"If someone tapped you on the shoulder and told you that you could walk into a record store and purchase a CD with Norah Jones singing with a guest rapper and hot club beats behind her, you'd probably think they had an offbeat sense of humor. Surprisingly enough, though, they'd be referring to "New York City: The Remix Album" by the Peter Malick Group featuring Norah Jones, the sequel to last year's "New York City" EP.



Far from surprising is the fact that after Jones hit superstardom many recordings predating her fame surfaced subsequently. "New York City," which is a set of 6 Malick-penned tracks the New York-based musician convinced Jones to record shortly after hearing her sing in the celebrated Manhattan venue The Living Room, is by far the most relevant. Not only does the release further testify to Jones' uncanny talent to immerse herself into another's lyrics, but it proves that her voice could as easily wake up a listener as lull them to gentle repose.



Although the material didn't have Jones' blessings for a commercial release, Malick released it anyway, much to the delight of fervent fans that still had more than six months to wait for the artist to release her sophomore album "Feels Like Home". In classic cop-out fashion Malick spoke fondly of the experience of recording the songs with Jones in the liner notes of "New York City," neglecting to mention the fact that he was using these recordings to make her his very own cash cow.



It is all the more shameless then that he has continued this process with the release of "New York City: The Remix Album". From one listen to the title track's DJ Strobe Brooklyn Vibe Mix featuring Split-Vizionz, anyone familiar with Jones will be hard-pressed to not feel sympathy for her. An embarrassing, cut-and-paste trick track with an unknown rapper, Jones without a doubt gasped for breath when she heard about it. The facts that she cites her primary influence as "the music of yesterday" and that she refused to let a remixed version of her first single "Don't Know Why" hit airwaves only rubs more salt into the wound.



The remaining seven tracks are rather basic club and single remixes with the DJ Strobe Seedy Hotel Remix of "Deceptively Yours" and the Bastone & Burnz club remixes of "Strange Transmissions" and "New York City" standing slightly eminent above the rest in terms of uniqueness and quality. On the other hand, the DJ Strobe Manhattan Tourist Remix of "New York City" is so similar to the original that it serves better as an example of what happens when people get lazy rather than something pleasant to listen to.



Ultimately, Norah Jones' diehard fans will find something to cherish here, as the disc does not whitewash her great vocal talent and is intriguing in how it offers up a side of her that does not even exist in truth. However, casual fans and the curious are certain to find this remix album a complete waste of time and money.



P.S.

Mark W, I am from Planet Earth, and actually I am very familiar with Norah Jones' side projects; strangely enough I bought the Wax Poetic CD yesterday the same time I purchased this in an eclectic record shop that actually had a copy on hand; I knew it would have Norah the moment I saw it. These remixes, if you look in the liner notes, date back only to this year, 2004. That means Norah Jones certainly did not authorize this. Since this is this the kind of music she does not prefer, I feel she needs at least one person to defend the fact that she certainly did not want this to be released. This is a shameless attempt to make more money off her fame. Listening to the first track makes that easy to see."

An exciting way to listen to a wonderful artist!!

Elijah Sampson | Pikesville, MD, USA | 08/14/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Any new Norah material is very exciting and this newest addition to the collection does not dissapoint. The Remix Album features bold new mixes that propel Norah into the club scene. The album is extremely solid from beginning to end and even takes a chance at something completely new for Norah by mixing her with a rapper named Split-Vizionz. The result is an album that gives Norah fans a new way to enjoy her amazing talents!



P.S. this album needs to be taken for what it is, and Rudy even mentioned that this creates a musical scenario which doesnt exist in real life. Well that is kind of the point of a remix isn't it? The album comes with a sticker on the cover that says "Magnificently-crafted remixes for nightclubs and lounges". If that is the demographic that the album targets, then it is extremely effective in that it exudes a club atmosphere. The mixes don't strike me as mainstream in the least, and there is no particular sell-out type indications here. If anything, this adds a new dimension to Norah Jones, one that if she was smart, would add to her repetoire and help her reach a new audience. Also, the final song on the album in which Rudy mentions sounds much to similar to the original is completely off base beyond comprehension. It is not at all similar, the instrumentation is completely different and the pattern is equally different. Did you even listen to the album? The first song on the album may have been a shock to you Rudy but the styles of the hip hop addition mesh well with the beat and mood of the song. The lyrics further the story of the song "New York City" and it comes off very effectively in my opinion."

Peter Malick wanting to make some extra cash on the side ?

Lil' Rowlands | Detroit Lakes, MN | 01/17/2006

(2 out of 5 stars)

"Though I don't know much about Peter Malick himself and the music that he makes, he made quite an impression when he released New York City with America's favorite singer, Norah Jones. After hearing the album, I considered it another Jones classic after her first album (Come Away With Me). I never really even knew that there was going to be a REMIX album until I had spotted it one day when I was doing my weekly shopping. The REMIX album was a real big dissapointment when he was lured into saying "yes !" to a remix album in the first place. If you are the kind of person who is into the club scenery of things and really dig the kinds of hard beats and rhythms interpreted into each song that this album brings, then I hope you can enjoy it more than I did after feeling the feeling I got after hearing each of these songs being torn up by hard-driven beats (I mean no offense of course, but this idea was really bad for Malick...Jones as well). I've never even heard of the artist, Split - Vizionz in my life before and I assume he's a "newage" rapper that decided to try and make a debut appearance in the song, New York City.



Stick to the original album folks and don't purchase it unless you really like it."