At MGM Music Hall, a fresh start for Norah Jones
It is a solid fact that in the 20-plus years since her spectacular breakout in 2002 with her debut record, “Come Away With Me,” Norah Jones has been a musical shapeshifter of sorts and, allied to that, an inveterate collaborator, from the country music made by the archly named the Little Willies to the girl-group pop of Puss N boots to the cinematic sweep of her collaboration with brian burton, a.k.a. Danger Mouse, on her 2012 album “Little broken Hearts.”
So it is no surprise that her new release, “Visions,” reflects both of those tendencies. “Visions” was made by Jones and Leon Michels, retrosoul record label founder, producer, multi-instrumentalist, and former Dap-King. On most of the record’s tracks, it’s just Jones and Michels, playing and overdubbing instrumental and vocal parts. the result is a lean, edgy, rawer sound that often has the character of a demo (and in fact, Michels has said that several of the tracks on the album were the demo versions).
And it was no surprise that Jones’s explorer’s spirit carried over into her performance Monday night at MGM Music Hall at fenway, the first date of her current tour. the show was no career survey or greatest hits parade. there were nods in the latter direction with a couple of the songs that made her famous — “Come Away with Me,” which featured Jones at her piano, alone, until she was joined by bass and drums midway through, and a delicate “Don’t Know Why” to close the show. Her cover of tom Waits’s “Long Way Home,” a concert staple, was full of loping twang, and “Carry On” featured a gospel vibe courtesy of Sami Stevens’s organ and the vocal support of Sasha Dobson.
but in the main, the performance was a showcase for “Visions.” Jones and company played all but two of its 12 songs, fully half of the 20-song setlist. Perhaps that was a disappointment for those who came to hear all of their favorites. but for those who enjoy hearing what’s new, it was an ample serving that made for a satisfying evening.
On occasion, those songs didn’t work — or rather, a few of them, “Paradise” and “Running” in particular, were rendered with more of a vintage Norah Jones sound than their recorded form, which, to these ears, made them less interesting.
but for the most part, they did work, magnificently. “Alone With My thoughts” delivered slow-rolling melancholy, “All this time” brought Jones’s soaring vocal ache (abetted by the sound of gentle bird tweets), and “I Just Wanna Dance” joyously conveyed its titular message. the rendition of title song “Visions” captured its gorgeous, resonating spareness, with Jones on electric guitar and paired here with Dobson’s vocals and Stevens’s organ. Jones demonstrated her prowess away from the keyboard on the guitar-prominent “Staring at the Wall” as well.
A bit of the old, then, and a lot of the new, and perfectly in character for Norah Jones.