Norah Jones fans should have seen this coming. From the get-go, Jones has always been adventurous, from her forays into country, blues and trip-hop to her persistent cameos for musically diverse artists (e.g., Outkast, Foo Fighters, Ray Charles). Her piano-playing, light-jazz image notwithstanding, Jones covered Hank Williams, Tom Waits and Townes Van Zandt on her first couple of records, which, incidentally, sold 30 million copies. Now, she’s gone way out there. Kelly Clarkson out there. On her latest record, The Fall, Jones has stepped out from behind the piano, grabbed an electric guitar and written/co-written every song on the record. The results are underwhelming. Lyrically, she’s no Hoagy Carmichael (Sample:“I can’t choose between a vegan and a pothead/So I chose you/ Because you’re sweet/And you give me lots of loving/And you eat meat.”). Musically, things are better, though about half the tracks start with her strumming muted electric guitar chords Billy Bragg-style. It’s a bad record by a talented artist. Rather than shelling out $13.99 on iTunes for The Fall, fans looking for the next Norah might be better served checking out new releases by two artists who recently visited West Michigan. Both have new records out and, coincidentally, you can download them both for the grand total of $13.98.
Kristina Train, who recently opened for Keb Mo’ at the State Theater in Kalamazoo, has a country-tinged and very soulful voice thatranges from raspy to soaring. Raised in Savannah, Georgia, the classically trained violinist sang in church and school choirs growing up, and was profoundly influenced by southern soul and gospel. Like her idol Aretha Franklin, she’s not afraid to explore hervoice’s upper and lower register, and the results are stunning, especially on tracks like “Don’t Beg for Love.” Recorded in London with producer Jimmy Hogarth (Duffy, Corinne Bailey Rae), a rhythm section, string ensemble and brass choir, Spilt Milk recalls Dusty Springfield’s classic Dusty in Memphis album. It’s sure to win over fans of Springfield, as well as modern country/soul singers like Tift Merritt and Shelby Lynne.
Like Train, Boston native Samantha Farrell, who recently played Wealthy Theatre, has plenty of soul in her music, though she tends to blend it with folk and jazz, rather than C&W. She has one of those whiskeysoaked voices that can sound Billie Holiday at one moment and Joni Mitchell the next. On the wistful “Someday” her voice flutters and flies as she sings about escaping an ordinary life to dance in Paris and wander down narrow streets in cities far away. Discovered and mentored by LeRoi Moore, the sax player for Dave Matthews Band, Farrell recorded her sophomore record, Luminous, a year ago. As she was finishing the tracks, Moore was involved in an accident that took his life and left Farrell “picking up the pieces of something beautiful we’d begun together.” She’s picked them up and put them together brilliantly on a record that deserves a wide audience.
Norah Jones
The Fall
Release Date: Nov. 17 (Blue Note)
Rating: *
Key Tracks : “Back to Manhattan”, “You’ve Ruined Me”
Kristina Train
Spilt Milk
Release Date: Oct. 20 (Blue Note)
Rating: ***
Key Tracks : “Spilt Milk”, “Don’t Beg for Love”
Samantha Farrell
Luminous
Release Date: Oct. 6 (Self Released)
Rating: ***
Key Tracks : “Someday”, “Another Second Day”
