Norah Jones, the 24-year-old singing sensation who last year won a staggering eight Grammy Awards for her debut album, Come Away With Me, is back in the limelight with her long-awaited follow-up, Feels Like Home. Will it top Come Away With Me in sales? Jones' new album is already on track to becoming one of the year's best-sellers, and promises to attract new fans to this still-rising superstar.
Norah Jones gained a solid fan base with her debut album in 2002. Displaying soft, intimate vocals and understated piano playing, Jones naturally struck a chord with audiences of all ages.
If a few tunes on Norah Jones' new album sound straight out of Nashville, it's no coincidence. Jones says she and her band listened to lots of bluegrass and country music while making it.
Building on her eclectic repertoire is Creepin' In, a duet with one of her all-time favorite performers, Dolly Parton.
Norah Jones is the daughter of Indian sitar master Ravi Shankar. She was born in New York City, and raised by her mother in Texas. She studied jazz piano in college, but returned to New York to start a band with guitarist Jesse Harris, bassist Lee Alexander and drummer Dan Reiser. They played in coffeehouses and clubs in New York's Greenwich Village, and were signed to the Blue Note jazz label in 2001. Jones' debut album, Come Away With Me, although not regarded as a true jazz recording, featured several noted jazz musicians, and was the top-selling jazz album of 2002. Blue Note categorized the album as "jazz-informed."
Labels notwithstanding, Jones reshuffled her band, and returned to the studio in early 2003 to make Feels Like Home. Critics describe it as being more low-key and more soulful than her previous release, declaring it the closest she's come to revealing her roots in blues, folk and jazz.
Norah Jones recently announced the dates of her upcoming European concert tour which begins in Dublin, Ireland on April 15, and winds up in Oslo, Norway on June 26.
