Artist:Norah Jones
Song:Don't Know Why
Album:Come Away With Me/Feels Like Home
When Norah Jones' 2002 debut album Come Away with Me sold 27 million copies worldwide, it was one of the most unlikely success stories in recent memory. Though Norah is on a jazz label, I don't think she is a jazz artist. Her music is similar to Carole King and other 70s singer songwriters. She was born Mar. 30, 1979 in New York City. She is the daughter of Indian music legend Ravi Shankar. After her parents split up, she grew up with her mom in Grapevine, TX. She grew up singing in church and took piano and voice lessons. Billie Holiday was a big influence. Norah attended the University of North Texas where she majored in jazz piano. It's also where she met Jesse Harris. She formed a band with him after she moved to New York in 1999. After she recorded with Wax Poetic, Peter Malick and Charlie Hunter, Norah was performing with the JC Hopkins Biggish Band. Hopkins' wife worked for EMI Publishing. She gave Norah's demo to Blue Note Records president Bruce Lundvall and they signed her. They had misgivings about her because she's more pop vocal than jazz. But they thought veteran producers Jay Newland and Arif Mardin could draw the jazz out of her. They didn't really do that but that was probably for the best as the album wouldn't have done as well. And that was the major criticism of Come Away with Me. It wasn't jazz. Don't Know Why was the hit single from the album. It reached #30 on the Billboard Hot 100. Jesse Harris wrote it and recorded it on his 1999 album Jesse Harris & the Ferdinandos. Norah recorded a couple of his other songs. The bottom line is the album was very successful and Norah won several Grammys. Norah's 2004 album Feels Like Home was not surprisingly very similar to the first album. It was also produced by Arif Mardin. It sold 12M copies. And Norah's album sales have steadily decreased ever since. Blue Note has released a 20th anniversary edition of Come Away with Me. They have not released a Norah Jones comp. But you can get this twofer of Come Away with Me and Feels Like Home at a budget price. Norah's latest album was a 2021 Christmas album. She is currently on a Come Away with Me 20th Anniversary tour. Here's the video for Don't Know Why by Norah Jones.
I love her song "Thinking about You." I just love it. And yes she does sound a lot like Carole King and other women singers from the 60's and 70's. A really beautiful and haunting song. I have listened to it many times, and will listen to it again. Thanks so much Frank. David.
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