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Not Too Late

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Not Too Late

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  • Artist: Norah Jones
  • Rating: StarStarStar
  • Release Date: January 30, 2007
  • Type: Lyrics are included with the album
  • Genre: Rock

Review

Recoils from fame usually aren't as subdued as Norah Jones' third album, Not Too Late, but such understatement is customary for this gentlest of singer/songwriters. Not Too Late may not be as barbed or alienating as either In Utero or Kid A -- it's not an ornery intensification of her sound nor a chilly exploration of its furthest limits -- but make no mistake, it is indeed a conscious abdication of her position as a comfortable coffeehouse crooner and a move toward art for art's sake. And, frankly, who can blame Jones for wanting to shake off the Starbucks stigmata? Although a large part of her appeal has always been that she sounds familiar, like a forgotten favorite from the early '70s, Jones is too young and too much of a New York bohemian to settle into a role as a nostalgia peddler, so it made sense that she started to stretch a little after her 2004 sophomore set, Feels Like Home, proved that her surprise blockbuster 2002 debut, Come Away with Me, was no fluke. First, there was the cabaret country of her Little Willies side band, then there was her appearance on gonzo art rocker Mike Patton's Peeping Tom project, and finally there's this hushed record, her first containing nothing but original compositions. It's also her first album recorded without legendary producer Arif Mardin, who helmed her first two albums, giving them a warm, burnished feel that was nearly as pivotal to Jones' success has her sweet, languid voice. Mardin died in the summer of 2006, and in his absence, Jones recorded Not Too Late at the home studio she shares with her collaborator, bassist and boyfriend Lee Alexander. Although it shares many of the same sonic characteristics as Jones' first two albums, Not Too Late boasts many subtle differences that add up to a distinctly different aesthetic. Jones and Alexander have stripped Norah's music to its core. Gone are any covers of pop standards, gone are the studio pros, gone is the enveloping lushness that made Come Away with Me so easy to embrace, something that Not Too Late is most decidedly not. While this might not have the rough edges of a four-track demo, Not Too Late is most certainly music that was made at home with little or no consideration of an audience much larger than Jones and Alexander. It's spare, sometimes skeletal, often sleepy and lackadaisical, wandering from tunes plucked out on acoustic guitars and pianos to those with richer full-band arrangements. Norah Jones has never exactly been lively -- part of her charm was her sultry slowness, ideal for both Sunday afternoons and late nights -- but the atmosphere here is stultifying even if it's not exactly unpleasant. After all, unpleasantness seems to run contrary to Jones' nature, and even if she dabbles in Tom Waits-ian carnivalesque stomps ("Sinkin' Soon") or tentatively stabs at politics ("My Dear Country"), it never feels out of place; often, the shift is so subtle that it's hard to notice. That subtlety is the biggest Achilles' heel on Not Too Late, as it manifests itself in songs that aren't particularly distinctive or performances that are particularly varied. There are exceptions to the rule and they all arrive with full-band arrangements, whether it's the lazy jazz shuffle of "Until the End," the country-tinged "Be My Somebody," or the wonderful laid-back soul of "Thinking About You." These are songs that not only sound full but they sound complete, songs that have a purposeful flow and are memorable for both their melody and sentiment. They would have been standouts on Feels Like Home, but here they are even more distinctive because the rest of the record plays like a sketchbook, capturing Jones and Alexander figuring out how to move forward after such great success. Instead of being the end result of those experiments, the completed painting after the sketch, Not Too Late captures their process, which is interesting if not quite compelling. But its very release is a clear statement of artistic purpose for Jones: its ragged, unfinished nature illustrates that she's more interested in pursuing her art than recycling Come Away with Me, and if this third album isn't as satisfying as that debut, it nevertheless is a welcome transitional effort that proves her artistic heart is in the right place. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi

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Wikipedia on Answers.com:

Not Too Late

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Home > Library > Miscellaneous > Wikipedia
Not Too Late
Studio album by Norah Jones
Released January 30, 2007
Recorded 2005–2006 at
New York City, New York
The Coop
Brooklyn Recording
Genre Jazz, blues, folk
Length 45:22
Label Blue Note, EMI
Producer Lee Alexander
Norah Jones chronology
Feels like Home
(2004)		 Not Too Late
(2007)		 The Fall
(2009)
Alternative cover
Deluxe edition cover
Singles from Not Too Late
  1. "Thinking About You"
    Released: December 5, 2006
  2. "Not Too Late"
    Released: 2007
  3. "Sinkin' Soon"
    Released: March 26, 2007
  4. "Until the End"
    Released: May 21, 2007

Not Too Late is the third studio album by musician Norah Jones, released in January 2007. It was produced by Lee Alexander, the songwriter and bassist featured on Jones's previous albums, Come Away with Me and Feels like Home. The album reached number one in the United States and the United Kingdom. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, making it Jones' third consecutive number-one album. It was the tenth best-selling album of 2007, according to IFPI.[1]

Contents

Background and recording

Jones wrote most of the songs on the album when she was on tour during 2004 and 2005; for example, "Until the End" was written in the South Pacific, "Rosie's Lullaby" in Australia, and "The Sun Doesn't Like You" in Brazil.[2] Jones wrote "Thinking About You" in 1999 with Ilhan Ersahin, her then-bandmate in Wax Poetic, but she thought it was too much of a pop song for her to record and rejected a version she recorded for Feels like Home.[3] Jones had an acoustic guitar with her on the tour and wrote more songs with it than she previously had: "The guitar is simple and a lot easier to carry than a piano", she said.

After the tour concluded, Jones began recording the album with Alexander, who "tweak[ed]" the lyrics of the songs and "pulled [them] into better shape", according to Jones.[2] Not Too Late was mostly recorded at Jones's home studio and is the first album Jones recorded without producer Arif Mardin, who died in the summer of 2006. Jones described the sessions as "fun, relaxed and easy" and without a deadline; executives at Blue Note Records reportedly did not know they were recording an album. Many of the sessions were "spur of the moment", with friends of Jones and musicians they recommended being asked to play.[2] The album features guest appearances by organist Larry Goldings, singer-songwriter M. Ward, and Kronos Quartet cellist Jeff Ziegler. Jones said the songs on the album are "not so cut-and-dried" compared to her earlier material and have "a twist to them". In contrast to her previous albums, the piano, organ and Wurlitzer are not as prominent as the guitar: "the piano is always loud in the mix, but I've never been into it being the main rhythm instrument unless we're playing something funky. I've always liked the guitar as the rhythmic instrument", Jones explained.[2]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic 3/5 stars[4]
Entertainment Weekly B−[5]
The Guardian 3/5 stars[6]
Los Angeles Times 3/4 stars[7]
The Observer 4/5 stars[8]
PopMatters (7/10)[9]
Rolling Stone 3/5 stars[10]
Stylus B−[11]
Village Voice (mixed)[12]

Reviews of the album have generally been favorable.[13] By January 29, 2007, it had become the most pre-ordered album of all time on Amazon.com, Jones' second album after Feels like Home to reach the merchant's all-time top ten pre-order list.[14]

The album debuted at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 405,000.[15] According to Nielsen SoundScan, it was the eighteenth highest selling album of 2007 in the U.S., with 1.50 million copies sold.[16] In the United Kingdom, it entered the UK Albums Chart at number one, becoming the 800th number-one album in the history of the chart;[17] it sold 60,500 copies in its first week.[18] It debuted at number five in Japan, opening with sales of 36,400 copies;[19] in Canada, the album entered at number one with opening week sales of 36,000.[20] In Australia, it entered the ARIA Albums Chart at number two and was certified gold with shipments of 35,000 copies.[21] The album reached number one in seventeen countries, including Germany and France. (For more information, see Charts.) According to a press release from EMI, Not Too Late is certified gold or platinum in twenty-one countries as of February 2007.[22] In February, the IFPI awarded the album a platinum certification for shipping one million copies in Europe.[23]

The first single from the album was "Thinking About You", which was released in the U.S. in early December 2006 and was one of the first songs by a major artist to be available for paid digital download in mp3 format.[24] "Not Too Late" was released as a radio single in Taiwan in early 2007.[25] For the week beginning January 23, the entire album was streamed on VH1.com's "Hear Music First" program.[26] Jones recorded an hour-long performance for UK BBC radio and television that was aired in late January,[27] and she performed via simulcast on the feature Live@BT: Norah Jones for Canada's Citytv in early February.[28][29] The third single from the album was "Sinkin' Soon", released in March.[30]

Jones was scheduled to embark on a twenty-two date concert tour of North America, beginning on April 13 and ending on May 12. One of the dates was to take place at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, on April 28.[31] On February 16, 2008, Not Too Late re-entered the Greek International Albums Chart at number fourteen and climbed to number thirteen the next week.[32] On August 18, the album returned to the top ten on the French Albums Chart and reached number seven.[33]

Track listing

No. Title Writer(s) Length
1. "Wish I Could"   Norah Jones, Lee Alexander 4:17
2. "Sinkin' Soon"   Jones, Alexander 4:37
3. "The Sun Doesn't Like You"   Jones, Alexander 2:59
4. "Until the End"   Jones, Alexander 3:55
5. "Not My Friend"   Jones 2:54
6. "Thinking About You"   Jones, Ilhan Ersahin 3:20
7. "Broken"   Jones, Alexander 3:20
8. "My Dear Country"   Jones 3:24
9. "Wake Me Up"   Jones, Alexander 2:46
10. "Be My Somebody"   Jones 3:36
11. "Little Room"   Jones 2:43
12. "Rosie's Lullaby"   Jones, Daru Oda 3:56
13. "Not Too Late"   Jones, Alexander 3:31
Bonus track
  • "2 Men" (Jones, Alexander) (Japan bonus track) – 2:30

Deluxe version (CD and DVD)

  1. "Thinking About You" – music video
  2. "Sinkin' Soon" – music video
  3. "Until the End" – music video
  4. "Thinking About You" – Making of....
  5. "Sinkin' Soon" – Making of....
  6. "Until the End" – live performance filmed in Burbank, CA, in November 2006
  7. "Sinkin' Soon" – live performance filmed in Burbank, CA, in November 2006
  8. "12 minutes interview" – with Norah Jones

Charts

The album debuted on the Billboard 200 at #1, selling 405,000 copies in its first week in the United States. The album spent 34 weeks on the U.S. chart.

Chart Provider(s) Peak
position		 Certification Sales/
shipments
Billboard 200 (U.S.)[34] Billboard 1 2× platinum[35] 2,000,000[16]
Brazil ABPD[36] ABPD — Gold 30,000
Euro Album Chart[37] IFPI 1 Platinum[23]
Argentinian Album Chart[38] CAPIF 1
Australian Album Chart[21] ARIA 2 Platinum 100,000[39]
Austrian Album Chart[40] Media Control Europe 1 2× platinum[41] 50,000[39]
Belgium Album Chart (Flanders)[42] IFPI/Ultratop 1 Gold[42]
Belgium Album Chart (Wallonia)[43] 1
Canadian Album Chart[44] Nielsen SoundScan 1 2× platinum[45] 200,000[39]
Czech Album Chart[46] IFPI 3
Danish Album Chart[47] IFPI/Nielsen Music Control 1 Gold[47] 30,000[39]
Estonian Album Chart[48] Pedrobeat 2 Gold[48] 10,000[39]
Finnish Albums Chart[49] GLF 1 20,000[50]
French Albums Chart[51] SNEP/IFOP 1 300,000[52]
German Albums Chart[53] Media Control 1 Platinum[54] 200,000[39]
Greek International Albums Chart[55] IFPI 2
Greek Albums Chart[56] IFPI 5
Hungarian Top 40 Album Chart[57] Mahasz 1 Gold[57] 10,000[39]
Irish Album Chart[58] IRMA 2 Gold[59] 15,000[39]
Italian Album Chart[60] FIMI/Nielsen SoundScan 5 Platinum 100,000
Japanese Albums Chart[61] Oricon/RIAJ 5 Gold[62] 200,000[63]
Korean Album Chart[64] MIAK 1 20,000[64]
Mexican Albums Chart[65] AMPROFON 16
Netherlands Albums Chart[66] NVPI/MegaCharts 1
New Zealand Albums Chart[67] RIANZ 1 10,000[39]
Norwegian Albums Chart[68] VG Nett 1
Polish Album Chart[69] ZPAV 1 Platinum[69] 30,000[39]
Portuguese Album Chart[70] AFP/Nielsen 5 Gold[70] 15,000[39]
Spanish Album Chart[71] PROMUSICAE/Media Control 3 Gold[72] 50,000[73]
Swiss Album Chart[74] Media Control Europe 1 2× platinum[75] 100,000[39]
Swedish Album Chart[76] GLF 1 Gold[77] 50,000[39]
Taiwanese International Album Chart[25] ICRT 3
UK Albums Chart[78] BPI/The Official UK Charts Company 1

Year-end

End of year chart (2007) Position
German Albums Chart[79] 5

Personnel

  • Vocals: Norah Jones
  • Backing vocals: Norah Jones, Daru Oda, M. Ward, Richard Julian, Adam Levy
  • Whistle: Daru Oda
  • Piano: Norah Jones
  • Chamberlain keyboards: Paul Bryan
  • Acoustic guitars: Jesse Harris, Norah Jones
  • Electric guitar: Adam Levy, Norah Jones, Tony Scherr, Robbie McIntosh
  • Backwards electric guitars: Adam Levy
  • Pizzicato cello: Julia Kent
  • Bowed cello: Jeffery Ziegler
  • Guitjo: Jesse Harris
  • Mandolin: Kevin Breit
  • Trombone: J. Walker Hawkes
  • Bass: Lee Alexander
  • Bowed basses: Lee Alexander
  • Drums: Andy Borger, Tony Mason
  • Slit drum: Andy Borger
  • Pots & Pans: Andy Borger
  • Wurlitzer: Norah Jones
  • Hammond B-3 organ: Larry Goldings, Devin Greenwood
  • Marimba: Andy Borger
  • Cymbals: Andy Borger
  • Trumpet: Chuck Mackinnon
  • Tenor sax: Rob Suddith, Bill McHenry
  • Mellotron: Norah Jones
  • Cellos: Julia Kent
  • Pizzicato: Lee Alexander
  • Tuba: Jose Davilla
  • Lap steel: Lee Alexander

References

  1. ^ IFPI - 50 Top Selling Albums 2007
  2. ^ a b c d Widran, Jonathan. "Norah Jones Talks About Co-Writing All The Songs For Her Upcoming New Album, Not Too Late". SongwriterUniverse Magazine. Retrieved February 4, 2007.
  3. ^ "Norah Jones - Not Too Late / Thinking Of You". ilikemusic.com. Retrieved January 26, 2007.
  4. ^ Allmusic review
  5. ^ Entertainment Weekly review
  6. ^ The Guardian review
  7. ^ Los Angeles Times review
  8. ^ The Observer review
  9. ^ PopMatters review
  10. ^ Rolling Stone review
  11. ^ Stylus review
  12. ^ Village Voice review
  13. ^ "Not Too Late by Norah Jones". Metacritic. Retrieved January 31, 2007.
  14. ^ "Norah Jones' "Not Too Late" Becomes Most Pre-Ordered Album of All Time on Amazon.com". Business Wire. January 29, 2007. Retrieved January 31, 2007.
  15. ^ Cohen, Jonathan. "Better 'Late' Than Never: Jones Debuts At No. 1". Billboard. February 7, 2007. Retrieved February 7, 2007.
  16. ^ a b Barnes, Ken. "Rap was the biggest loser in sales in 2007". USA Today. January 3, 2008.
  17. ^ "Jones scores UK's 800th top album". BBC News. February 4, 2007. Retrieved February 5, 2007.
  18. ^ Music Week. February 10, 2007.
  19. ^ "Album - Weekly ranking". Oricon. February 5, 2007.
  20. ^ Williams, John. "Norah Jones blasts to No. 1". JAM! Showbiz. February 8, 2007. Retrieved February 8, 2007.
  21. ^ a b "Top 50 Albums Chart". ARIA. February 5, 2007.
  22. ^ "Norah Jones' "Not Too Late" debuts at #1 in the world's key markets". EMI. February 7, 2007. Retrieved February 13, 2007.
  23. ^ a b European Certifications
  24. ^ Smith, Ethan and Wingfield, Nick. "In a Turnabout, Record Industry Releases MP3s". The Wall Street Journal. December 6, 2006, pg. B1. Retrieved February 5, 2007.
  25. ^ a b "International Album Chart". ICRT. February 10 – February 16, 2007. Retrieved April 3, 2007.
  26. ^ "VH1 Digital Grooves Into 2007 With New Installments of Its 'Box Set' and 'Live@Vh1.Com' Series". PR Newswire. January 11, 2007. Retrieved February 5, 2007.
  27. ^ Perrone, Pierre. "Norah Jones, LSO, St Luke's, London". The Independent. January 15, 2007. Retrieved February 5, 2007.
  28. ^ "A CHUM Television Exclusive Performance "Live@BT: Norah Jones"". Canada NewsWire. January 23, 2007. Retrieved February 5, 2007.
  29. ^ Reaney, James. "A-Channel has Jones simulcast". The London Free Press. January 31, 2007. Retrieved February 5, 2007.
  30. ^ "Norah Jones - Sinkin' Soon in March". CD Times. March 23, 2007. Retrieved March 31, 2007.
  31. ^ Cohen, Jonathan. "Norah Jones Plots Out Spring Tour". Billboard. February 1, 2007. Retrieved February 5, 2007.
  32. ^ Greek International Albums Chart. Retrievied February 16, 2008.
  33. ^ French Albums Chart. Retrieved August 24, 2007.
  34. ^ Norah Jones chart history, U.S. album charts
  35. ^ Billboard. April 7, 2007.
  36. ^ ABPD | Associação Brasileira dos Produtores de Disco
  37. ^ European Album Chart
  38. ^ Argentinian Album Chart
  39. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Certification award levels
  40. ^ Austrian Album Chart
  41. ^ Austrian certification
  42. ^ a b Belgium Album Chart
  43. ^ Belgium Album Chart
  44. ^ Canadian Album Chart
  45. ^ "Gold & Platinum Certification - Audio Certifications". CRIA. January 2007. Retrieved July 25, 2007.
  46. ^ Czech Album Chart
  47. ^ a b Danish Album Chart
  48. ^ a b Estonian Album Chart
  49. ^ Finnish Albums Chart
  50. ^ Finnish sales
  51. ^ French Album Chart
  52. ^ French sales
  53. ^ Germany Albums Chart
  54. ^ German Certification
  55. ^ Greek International Album Chart
  56. ^ Greek Albums Chart
  57. ^ a b Hungarian Top 40 Album Chart
  58. ^ Irish Album Chart
  59. ^ Jaclyn Ward - Fireball Media Ltd. - http://www.fireballmedia.ie+(1962-10-01). "The Irish Charts - All there is to know". Irishcharts.ie. http://irishcharts.ie/awards/gold07.htm. Retrieved 2012-03-03. 
  60. ^ Italian Album Chart
  61. ^ Japanese Album Chart
  62. ^ "ゴールド等認定作品一覧　2007年1月" (in Japanese). RIAJ. 2007-02-10. http://www.riaj.or.jp/data/others/gold/200701.html. Retrieved 2010-11-10. 
  63. ^ Japanese sales
  64. ^ a b Korean Album Chart
  65. ^ March 2007
  66. ^ Netherlands Album Chart
  67. ^ New Zealand Album Chart
  68. ^ Norwegian Album Chart
  69. ^ a b Polish Album Chart
  70. ^ a b Portuguese Album Chart
  71. ^ Spanish Album Chart
  72. ^ [1][dead link]
  73. ^ Spain certification
  74. ^ Swiss Album Chart
  75. ^ Swiss Certification Week 12 2007
  76. ^ Swedish Album Chart
  77. ^ hitlistan - week 7, 2007
  78. ^ UK Album Chart
  79. ^ [2][dead link]

External links

Preceded by
Late Night Special by Pretty Ricky
Infinity on High by Fall Out Boy		 U.S. Billboard 200 number-one album
February 11, 2007 – February 17, 2007
February 25, 2007 – March 10, 2007		 Succeeded by
Infinity on High by Fall Out Boy
Daughtry by Daughtry
Preceded by
Hats Off to the Buskers by The View		 UK number one album
February 4, 2007 – February 10, 2007		 Succeeded by
Life in Cartoon Motion by Mika
Norah Jones
Studio albums
Compilation album
Other albums
Singles
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