Norah Jones

Some performers work hard to let you know they're working hard for you. Not Norah Jones. She's the kind of artist who works hard to make it all look easy. Jones' first set of all self-written material keeps the same languorous, casual sunny morning feel of her first two albums, but there are some marked differences this time out. Jones' material now contains a new bite, as the effects of fame, old betrayals and (most importantly) her country at war have all crept into her work.

Greatness thrust upon her by Come Away With Me's Grammy sweep, Norah Jones
maintained her modesty at all costs on 2004's Feels Like Home, with results less jazzy but
duller -- even duller, some would say. On the mildly adventurous Not Too Late, she writes
or co-writes every song -- thirteen in all, five more than on the first two albums combined.
Although she may never hit upon a hook to equal Jesse Harris' on "Don't Know... More >

Greatness thrust upon her by Come Away With Me's Grammy sweep, Norah Jones maintained her modesty at all costs on 2004's Feels Like Home, with results less jazzy but duller--even duller, some would say. On the mildly adventurous Not Too Late, she writes or co-writes every song--13 in all, five more than on the first two combined. Although she may never hit upon a hook to equal Jesse Harris's on "Don't Know Why," she's quirkier lyrically than any of her helpmates, an effect magnified by the thoughtful, sweetly rounded melancholy of the voice people love. So you have to concentrate to follow the twists of Not Too Late's opening "Wish I Could." And though "My Dear Country"'s stark "On election day" will catchy you short every time, you probably won't notice Jones calling an unnamed but unmistakable George W. Bush "the one we hate" just before. These political moments contextualize Jones's calm. But lest her peace-at-all-costs legions fret, they're hardly the norm--"Thinking About You," prereleased on MP3, returns to the soldier in "Wish I Could" only if you read a whole lot into "sail across the ocean waters." (Grade - ***)