SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: NORAH JONES – PICK ME UP OFF THE FLOOR

Norah Jones
Pick Me Up Off The Floor
Blue Note Records

Many listeners who consider themselves serious fans will instantly disregard the new Norah Jones album Pick Me Up Off the Floor. The reasons – she has sold bundles of albums, particularly her debut Come Away with Me, and she is considered by many to fall into the categories of pop or smooth jazz.

Ok, let’s get one thing clear first. Making any music that has to cover a number of formulaic rules, whether you call it pop or smooth jazz as a more specific category, and being good at it is an art in itself. You have to escape the trap of being just a copycat and/or not having any success at all. If you push the boundaries within the set rules, you make your task a thousand times harder. And the latter is one of those things Jones did on her previous six albums.

Now, let’s make another thing clear here. Pick Me Up Off the Floor is not a pop record, not in the sense that it sticks to any set formula. You’ve got, soul, jazz, gospel, Americana and a combination of those and other music genres here. And Jones and her collaborators make these combinations sound as if they were always made for each other.

It makes no difference which of the 11 tracks are question – the strings-driven opener “How I Weep”, the jazzed-up country of “Heartbroken Day After”, or the brilliant “I’m Alive.” What we have on our hands is the best Norah Jones album so far and possibly a true classic.

Artist Links