Norah Jones is an artist who can’t seem to decide which genre she belongs in. Some put her in jazz or blues, others in pop, but it seems Jones isn’t content in just one category.

On her third full-length release, ‘Not Too Late,’ Jones plays around with different genres, this time adding country and folk to the list.

Jones, the daughter of famous sitar player Ravi Shankar, burst onto the national scene and won eight Grammys in 2003 with her debut release, ‘Come Away with Me.’ Her popularity allowed her to perform guest vocals on Outkast’s ‘The Love Below’ and Ryan Adams’ ‘Jacksonville City Nights.’

Best known for her sultry, blues-style voice that has been compared to Billie Holliday, her voice is once again the best part of her latest release, while her piano playing is downplayed and sorely missed.

Jones wrote all of the songs on ‘Not Too Late,’ moving away from some of the love- song balladry of her past and waxing political instead. This is seen in the album opener, ‘Wish I Could,’ about a war-bound soldier, and then even more so on the track, ‘My Dear Country,’ which portrays the country’s current political situation.

The album opens with a series of slow songs, mostly piano and acoustic guitar ballads. Jones’ voice flows over the soft melodies, in an almost hypnotizing way. The rest of the album follows in the same pattern. Jones’ smooth voice carries across songs that don’t distinguish themselves from the others.

The album’s first single, ‘Thinking about You,’ is the most radio-friendly single, with a lush, full sound driven by piano, the electric guitar and horns.

Jones’ piano playing is not the main focus of this record, as the songs utilize organs, horns and string arrangements to create a folk-country sound on most songs, especially ‘Sinkin’ Soon’ and ‘Be My Somebody.’

The album is at its best when it’s just Jones, a piano and a guitar, like ‘Until the Sun’ and the title track. Jones and her piano are the best pairing; all of the country experimentation blends together into one big song, interrupted occasionally by one of Jones’ familiar piano-centric songs.

While experimentation is certainly a welcome thing, especially when most artists are content to stay safely within the boundaries that gained them acclaim in the first place, Jones’ feels off the mark.

The singer would have been better served either sticking to her bread and butter or going completely in another direction. The mix she serves up on ‘Not Too Late’ is undercooked at best. In her desire to try out different styles, she left behind what she’s best at: letting her memorable voice and piano be the main focus.

Published on January 28, 2007 at 12:00 pm