• Voto:
Il successo di Norah Jones lascia ancora oggi letteralmente allibiti: l'album di debutto Come Away With Me, con oltre venti milioni di copie sparse per tutto il mondo e otto grammy awards (l'equivalente musicale degli oscar) vinti durante la cerimonia del 2003, si colloca agevolmente tra le pietre miliari della musica contemporanea. Eppure, non ce ne vogliano gli estimatori della giovanissima cantautrice nata a New York 28 anni fa, un tale consenso di pubblico mostra risvolti più sociologici che musicali. A parte le solite Madonna, Shania Twain e Britney Spears l'unica artista femminile di un certo spessore a superare Norah è Alanis Morissette. Il messaggio appare chiaro: rispetto agli inni femministi usa e getta della Morissette targata 1995 nel recente successo di Norah Jones possiamo individuare, senza eccessive forzature, una diffusa voglia di musica rilassante.
Il jazz edulcorato di Norah, così come lo swing all'acqua di rose offertoci dal canadese Michael Bublé, sono la risposta perfetta per un pubblico composto da acquirenti sempre più anziani. Magari diffidenti verso operazioni commerciali come quelle messe in piedi da Bublè o dai numerosi epigoni della Jones, ma ciononostante disposti a comprare un buon disco qual è sicuramente Come Away With Me. Il successivo Feels Like Home del 2004, con "soli" dieci milioni di dischi venduti, ha permesso alla Jones di soddisfare le aspettative della sua etichetta discografica che, possiamo esserne certi, l'avrà considerato quasi un fiasco.
Tuttavia è con Not Too Late, in uscita tra pochi giorni, che Norah si gioca le sue carte migliori dopo aver trascorso gli ultimi due anni a fare la rockstar, prestando la propria voce ai dischi di Foo Fighters, Ryan Adams e apparendo nello sperimentale Peeping Tom dell'ex Faith No More Mike Patton. Il cuore di Not Too Late ruota intorno al primo singolo Thinking Of You preceduto e seguito, nella scaletta provvisoria del cd, da due perle quali Not My Friend e Broken: la prima sorretta da una intensa interpretazione della Jones e la seconda impreziosita da un brioso arrangiamento per archi. Le restanti tracce dell'album, pur sembrando fin troppo simili a quanto precedentemente prodotto da Norah, non deludono le attese. Dopo l'ascolto di Not Too Late si comprende, almeno in parte, il perché questa minuta ragazza di origini indiane - suo padre è il celebre musicista Ravi Shankar - abbia riscosso tanto successo.
Elenco tracce testi e video
01 Wish I Could (04:18)
We met in a place I used to go,
Now I just walk by it for show,
Can't bear to go in without you know,
Wish I could,
Wish I could.
But Annie is standing in the door,
With a look on her face I can't just ignore,
She tells me that her heart is sore,
And pulls me in,
She pulls me in.
She says "love in the time of war is not fair",
"He was my man but they didn't care",
"Sent him far away from here",
"No goodbye",
"No goodbye".
I don't tell her that I once loved you too,
Or about all the things we used to do,
I kiss her hair and think of you,
Walking down ,
The road you found.
We met in a place I used to go,
Now I only walk by it slow,
Can't bear to go in without you know,
Wish I could,
Wish I could,
Wish I could,
Wish I could.
02 Sinkin' Soon (04:38)
We're an oyster cracker on the stew,
And the honey in the tea,
We're the sugar cubes, one lump or two,
In the black coffee,
The golden crust on an apple pie,
That shines in the sun at noon,
We're a wheel of cheese high in the sky,
But we're gonna be sinkin' soon.
In a boat that's built of sticks and hay,
We drifted from the shore,
With a captain who's too proud to say,
That he dropped the oar,
Now a tiny hole has sprung a leak,
In this cheap pontoon,
Now the hull has started growing weak,
And we're gonna be sinkin' soon.
We're gonna be
Sinkin' soon,
We're gonna be
Sinkin' soon,
Everybody hold your breath 'cause,
We're gonna be sinkin' soon
We're gonna be
Sinkin' soon,
We're gonna be
Sinkin' soon,
Everybody hold your breath 'cause,
Down and down we go.
Like the oyster cracker on the stew,
The honey in the tea
The sugar cubes, one lump or two?
No thank you none for me.
We're the golden crust on an apple pie,
That shines in the sun at noon,
Like the wheel of cheese high in the sky
Well ... we're gonna be sinkin' soon.
03 The Sun Doesn't Like You (02:59)
The sun doesn't like you, you always get burned,
Stay in the shade and watch the world turn.
Better find a new place to lay on the ground,
Can't stay where you are or you're gonna be found.
And time won't pass you by,
And I won't tell you lies.
So tonight ... we can build a fire,
In the open field past the razor wire.
Sneak by the dogs when they go to sleep,
Bring part of yourself that you'll let me keep.
'cause time won't pass us by,
And I won't tell you lies,
Someday I will ask you why ... but not now.
And time won't pass us by,
And you won't tell me lies,
Someday we all have to die ... but not now.
08 My Dear Country (03:25)
'Twas Halloween and the ghosts were out,
And everywhere they'd go, they shout,
And though I covered my eyes I knew,
They'd go away.
But fear's the only thing I saw,
And three days later 'twas clear to all,
That nothing is as scary as election day.
But the day after is darker,
And darker and darker it goes,
Who knows, maybe the plans will change,
Who knows, maybe he's not deranged.
The news men know what they know, but they,
Know even less than what they say,
And I don't know who I can trust,
For they come what may.
'cause we believed in our candidate,
But even more it's the one we hate,
I needed someone I could shake,
On election day.
But the day after is darker,
And deeper and deeper we go,
Who knows, maybe it's all a dream,
Who knows if I'll wake up and scream.
I love the things that you've given me,
I cherish you my dear country,
But sometimes I don't understand,
The way we play.
I love the things that you've given me,
And most of all that I am free,
To have a song that I can sing,
On election day.
09 Wake Me Up (02:46)
Wake me up when it's over,
Wake me up when it's done,
When he's gone away and taken everything,
Wake me up.
Wake me up when the skies are clearing,
When the water is still,
'cause I will not watch the ships sail away so,
Please say you will.
If it were any other day,
This wouldn't get the best of me.
But today I'm not so strong,
So lay me down with a sad song,
And when it stops then you know I've been,
Gone too long.
But don't shake me awake,
Don't bend me or I will break,
Come find me somewhere between my dreams,
With the sun on my face.
I will still feel it later on,
But for now I'd rather be asleep.
10 Be My Somebody (03:36)
I'm too foggy today,
To know what you're sayin',
Your lips are moving so fast,
And i just keep praying,
For them to slow down,
So i can make some sense,
Of the words that are pouring out,
Of your crooked spout.
Last night was a record to be broken,
It broke all over the kitchen floor,
Oh no don't you go,
I'm coming back with a rag,
To wipe away the haze from the days,
We've forgotten all about.
So be my somebody tonight,
Be the one who'll hold me tight,
Honey, please, please,
Cuz i've been so all alone,
And no one will pick up the phone,
So honey, please stay.
I held your head up, do you remember?
When you wanted to make a blanket outta me,
Oh i can't lie ... i been keeping score,
And it's your turn to wring me out,
And lay me down to dry.
So be my somebody tonight,
Be the one who'll hold me tight,
Honey, please, please,
Cuz i've been so all alone,
And no one will pick up the phone,
So honey, please stay,
Honey, please stay,
Honey, please stay.
12 Rosie's Lullaby (03:56)
She walked by the ocean,
And waited for a star,
To carry her away.
Feelin' so small,
At the bottom of the world,
Lookin' up to God.
She tries to take deep breaths,
To smell the salty sea,
As it moves over her feet.
The water pulls so strong,
And no-one is around,
And the moon is looking down.
Sayin',
Rosie - come with me,
Close your eyes - and dream.
The big ships are rollin',
And lightin' up the night,
And she calls out, but they just her pass by.
The waves are crashin',
But not making a sound,
Just mouthing along.
Sayin',
Rosie - come with me,
Close your eyes and dream,
Close your eyes and dream,
Close your eyes and dream.
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