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| Norah Jones debuts 'Little Broken Hearts' Norah Jones brought her new batch of songs to South By Southwest Saturday night. The album, "Little Broken Hearts, " will be released May 1. Sometimes sweet and sometimes spooky, the songs, co-written and produced by Danger Mouse on the album, have atmospheric weight performed live also. The song Travelin' On layered a sugary pop sheen over its mournful refrain of "I can't believe what's happening now." And the touching She's 22 asked "does she make you happy?" as a pedal steel guitar added old-timey atmospherics. A lush Take It Back developed into a grungy dirge led by guitarist Jason Roberts. Concert closer Miriam, sung from the point of view of a scorned woman contemplating murder, had a timeless character of classic Appalachian ballads that burn themselves into your mind. "Miriam, that's such a pretty name, " Jones sang, "I'm going to say it until you die." Jones had played two festival gigs earlier in the week with country side project the Little Willies. She was relaxed and self-assured onstage, moving between keyboards and guitar and her voice was clear and strong. "Is it weird hearing music you've never heard? she asked the crowd. "It sounds good, " someone responded. "It's a little scary sharing new things with people, " she said, smiling, "but we're old friends, right?" The appreciative, respectful crowd at the intimate La Zona Rosa stage at one point got a bit too informal. Someone in the crowd hollered about wanting to go on a date with Jones. "You're asking me for a date? I think I'm taken, " she responded. "I think we should start the next song." In an interview earlier in the week, Jones talked about her affinity for the South By Southwest festival, which she first came to in 2002 when her first album Come Away With Me, which has sold more than 20 million copies. "It was kind of intense. My record had just come out and people were just starting to catch onto it. It was kind of like the starting point of a crazy period for me. But I have fond memories of being here." The daughter of concert producer Sue Jones and Ravi Shankar, Jones grew up in Dallas and said, "I love Austin" even during South By Southwest. "It's crazy. It's intense. There's a lot of drunk people on the streets at night. It's tough to get around. It's tough to get a cab, " she said. "It's tough, but it's fun, too." As to why she wanted to debut her new songs at the festival, she said, "South By Southwest is for new bands, but it's also for something new so for me it was fun to play the new record here. I have a history here and I also just love Austin, kind of any excuse to come to Austin for me." write your comments about the article :: © 2012 Jazz News :: home page |