Norah Jones

It takes me quite a long time to fully appreciate Norah Jones’ aesthetic work of art. Her Feels Like Home album takes my breath away as I head home last Friday evening. The best time for me to totally enjoy music is when I am on the road. So when I hit the freeway at 80 miles per hour, I just let the music takes over me. Inspired by the second album, I had to drop by the record store to pick up her first album Come Away With Me before driving back to Poughkeepsie. It surely made the trip much pleasurable and quicker. Now I am enjoying both albums back to back.

Of course, Jones’ exquisite vocal is the key ingredient that I am hooked on; however, the elegant musical elements (drums, bass, piano, guitar, and violin) truly enhanced the aesthetic experience. These simple yet graceful instruments meshed perfectly with Jones’ lovely voice to produced beautiful compositions. The sound engineering is flawlessly balanced that not one of the musical elements overshadows the others and together they have created an exceptional experience. Each time I listen her albums, I tend to separate each element to enjoy its individual aesthetic qualities. For instance, one time I dedicate my attention only to her voice and the lyrics while other time I simply focus mainly on her piano, the acoustic guitar, or the beats.

While both Come Away With Me and Feels Like Home are enjoyable, each album stands out independently. Come Away With Me has that slow and jazzy sense whilst Feels Like Home has that country and uplifting mode. Creepin’ In just makes me want to do Ho-down. My favorite track from Come Away With Me album is I’ve Got To See You Again and What Am I to You? from Feels Like Home. Of course, other songs are beautiful as well but those two stands out the most for me.