The Fall Norah Jones EMI Rs 395 RATING: **** Shes no Pussycat Doll or Britney Spears,nor does she hang on to tailor-made songs fed by producers and a backing band. Norah Jones ticks on her own sumptuous dose of songwriting and compositions,all the while playing the guitar and the piano. Her fourth album The Fall is defined by a little bit of intrigue entwined with contemporary jazz and arty rock-ish elements. The Fall has a reinvented sound that moves away from the pop/jazz/country influences that paddled her first two albums. Her third album Not Too Late too had a deviant pop/blues feel to it. The Fall,however,sees a lot more electricity with fuzzy guitar drones along with uncluttered grooves and drums. Joness fiddling with Wurlitzer and electric guitars apart,the involvement of lively musicians such as guitarist Marc Ribot and drummer Joey Waronker gives a feisty feel unlike the acoustic flavour of earlier records. The reinvigorated sound is palpable right from the first track,Chasing pirates,with its reverberating guitars moving on to the reggae-tinged Even though. Nimble guitars,buzzing synth,soft rock melodies and rocky percussions define songs like Light as a feather,Youngblood and Stuck. Graceful vocals in I wouldnt need you and a sprinkling of notes from the glockenspiel in Waiting move on to a few surprises like the rock n roll-laden Its gonna be and the waltzing Youve ruined me now along with tracks like Back to Manhattan and Man of the hour with its late-night NYC vibes. Just the record to listen to on a lonely,feel-good night. Mohan.kumar@expressindia.com
