Timothy Przygocki 2010-03-19

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Norah has such a charming voice. Chasing Pirates is a sure hit all time. It resonates with a strong statement.

S. Frank 2010-03-14

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

I am no fan of the "loudness war" crap, but by far this is the worst victim. If it is a heavy rock band, it diminishes the sound quality, but nowhere near as much as it does here. I first downloaded MP3 version and thought it was just the MP3 so I then got the CD. And it was just as bad. Then I went out and spent $20 on the vinyl version because I had read you can't master things that "hot" on vinyl. Well it sounds like they tried because it sounds much worse than the CD. I couldn't even finish the first song. I love these songs and hopefully she will record them live and release them...and hopefully they will sound better. But I can't listen to this record as it is. I love her new direction in songwriting, but not the production.

M. L. Smith 2010-03-10

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While I'm enjoying the music and the general change of pace from her prior albums, it is a pity to see yet another artist fall victim to the "loudness wars."

For example, I'm listening to "Waiting" as I type. This is a relatively sedate song but it it still recorded so "hot" that the VU meters consistently pop right past 0 dB. That is silly. The opening song "Chasing Pirates" has a level of downright nasty distortion that pervades the whole thing.

Perhaps I'm revealing my age, but I just don't understand the attraction of compressed and overprocessed music. Maybe if this were Concrete Blonde or Flogging Molly, but Norah Jones?

However, that is one of the problems with any fad or fashion, whether music, TV or clothes. People think they have to follow the fad even if it makes no sense. How sad.

Mary Ann Pate 2010-02-24

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This is a departure for Nora and on first listening I was a little disappointed, but like all really good albums it takes a few times on the cd player to be fully appreciated. The mix is different and so are the musicians but the Nora magic is still there. This is much more of a rock album than her other titles but there are still enough ballads to satisfy. To me Young Blood is the "hit" song of the album, I'm not sure what it is about but the words flow like poetry. I salute Nora for not sitting on her laurals and moving fore ward in her style, I hope her fans can keep up.

Philip R. Heath 2010-02-22

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

Norah Jones once again takes her music in new directions on her fourth studio release The Fall. In some ways it is hard to believe that this is the same artist that brought us the sweet, piano-driven Come Away with Me some eight years ago. However it is a testament to her talent as an artist that she need not follow a formula of cranking out clones of the past in order to be successful.

While her sound has changed over time, the overall mood of her music has changed too. The Fall is known as her "break up CD", and this is not without merit. Listeners see Jones in the various stages of dealing with her loss. Her anger shines through on "Tell Yer Mama" where she goes as far as blaming her ex's parents for the way that they raised him. This song is by a bouncy electric bass rhythm that supports her finger wagging delivery. In the whimsical opener, "Chasing Pirates", Jones seems more interested in escape. This is one of the few songs on the CD that is semi-upbeat. Jones also touches on her sadness with "You've Ruined Me". She sings with an earnestness and emotional depth that is not common for her. The instrumentation gives a sway in 3/4 time that supports the song well. However, Jones closes The Fall with "Man Of The Hour", a song that I hope is meant to be tongue-in-cheek. With only her piano playing as a backdrop she decides to give up men for dogs - hence the strong canine presence on the CD front and back.

However, her ex is not the only one to receive Jones' reproach. On "It's Gonna Be", the most electric/rock sounding song on the CD, takes her swipe at the critics with lines such as "And now that everyone's a critic/It's makin' my mascara runny." and "Cuz there's a fine line between a skewer/And a decent sense of humor." Yet it almost becomes comical with the line "Aim at the ones who've really hurt us/They should be arrested for murder." While I found the lyrics somewhat questionable, "It's Gonna Be" was my favorite song on The Fall. It has nice vocal harmony, and I found it interesting to hear her cut loose with a more rock influenced sound.

Overall, I thought The Fall was a musical success for the continued evolution of Norah Jones as an artist. However, if you don't like "break up" music, or you were hoping for a return to her piano-driven style of old; you probably won't like The Fall.

Download this: It's Gonna Be