It is not just the timbre of Norah Jones's voice that is mature beyond her 22 years. Her assured phrasing and precise time are more often found in older singers as well. She is instantly recognizable, blending shades of Billie Holiday and Nina Simone without sounding like anyone but herself. Any way you slice it, she is a singer to be reckoned with. Her readings of the Hank Williams classic "Cold Cold Heart" and Hoagy Carmichael's "The Nearness of You" alone are worth the price of the CD. Jones's own material, while not bad, pales a bit next to such masterpieces. They might have fared better had she and producer Arif Mardin opted for some livelier arrangements, taking better advantage of brilliant sidemen such as Bill Frisell, Kevin Breit, and Brian Blade; or if the tunes had simply been given less laconic performances. Jones has all the tools; what will come with experience and some careful listening to artists like J.J. Cale and Shirley Horn is the knack of remaining low-key without sounding sleepy--sometimes less is not, in fact, more. --Michael Ross

2000年，钢琴手兼歌手Norah Jones还未获得那8个格莱美大奖，她只是在纽约东部贫民区的起居室里演奏，她应邀为吉他手Peter Malick和他的乐队演唱几首布鲁斯。这张唱片的灵感源于Ray Charles和Billie Holiday等名家的经典作品，也是一张典型的唱作人专辑，而Jones那同样经典的演唱风格更是将其演绎得淋漓尽致。大部分Malick的曲目都是当代蓝调，让人想念起Bonnie Raitt和Eric Clapton的作品。“Strange Transmissions”，一首忧郁的爱的宣言，Jones醇美的嗓音奠定了她后来布鲁斯歌后的地位，而“Heart of Mine”则表明，这个钢琴家充满生气的风格与Bob Dylan是绝配。至于首席Malick，为大部分曲子贡献了他沉静切肤的吉他演奏。