Norah Jones, 'The Fall'

Norah Jones at her best on breakup album

By Wade Tatangelo

Special to Metromix

Release date: November 17, 2009
Record label: EMI/Blue Note
Official Web site: http://www.norahjones.com/

The buzz: She's sold over 30 million albums and won Grammys. But Norah Jones had not issued a truly brilliant record until now.

The verdict: “Kissed my neck with a crooked, cracked fang,” Jones sings on the entrancing love song “Young Blood.” “Your chocolate eyes, like buttons of lies,” she intones on the bitter “You’ve Ruined Me.” Jones, who wrote or co-authored every track on “The Fall,” has never before delivered such juicy lines. She’s 30 years old these days and free from longtime boyfriend/bassist/co-writer Lee Alexander for the first time since becoming famous. His presence is not missed. Jones plays more guitar than piano on the album, which has greater, albeit subtle, spunk than previous releases. Her smoke and honey vocals remain the star of the show, though she has so much more to say on “The Fall,” which is almost as much about breaking up as it is about falling in love again—and having a sense of humor. On the closer, “Man of the Hour,” Jones sings over a playful melody: "But I can't choose between a vegan and a pothead/So I chose you/Because you're sweet/And you give me lots of lovin'/And you eat meat." Adorable.

Did you know? Ryan Adams, Okkervil River’s Will Sheff and frequent collaborator Jesse Harris are among the co-writers Jones enlisted for the album.