By David Okamoto, KERA 90.1 commentator
Dallas, TX – [Track 1: "Sunrise"]
Norah Jones has worn success more gracefully than any pop star in recent memory.
In an industry that values calculation over charm, sales over soul, the Dallas-raised singer-pianist has dodged the backlash that usually follows multiple Grammys and multi-platinum albums. 'Feels Like Home,' her marvelous sequel to 2002's 'Come Away With Me,' radiates with comfort and confidence. At a stage where some stars would merely repeat themselves, 'Feels Like Home' finds Jones mining her sound, not milking it.
In her short career, Norah Jones has done right by everyone, and done everything right. Here are five of her smartest moves to date:
Number 1: She's made overexposure work in her favor. Choosing side projects that demonstrate her range, not her marquee value, Jones has appeared on tribute albums to Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings and collaborated with The Dirty Dozen Brass Band and hip-hop duo OutKast. She helped out old friends Joel Harrison and "Don't Know Why" composer Jesse Harris by singing on their albums. And when former bandmates like blues veteran Peter Malick dug up tapes recorded before she was famous, even those sessions revealed a hidden, harder-rocking side.
Smart move Number 2: She rescued us from the Attack of the Killer Divas. Before 'Come Away With Me' came along, the charts were dominated by the glass-shattering pyrotechnics of Faith Hill, Mariah Carey and Celine Dion. Jones made it hip to be hushed, drawing upon the jazz and country influences of her youth and embracing sparseness over sparkle, nuance over affectation.
Number 3: She refused to play it safe. In concert, Jones surprises her audiences by performing songs by Bob Dylan and AC/DC. On 'Feels Like Home,' she dares to apply her own lyrics to a 1953 Duke Ellington instrumental called "Melancholia" and celebrates late Texas troubadour Townes Van Zandt by unearthing his 1969 ballad, "Be Here to Love Me" and making it sound like a standard.
[Track 6: "Be Here to Love Me"]
Number 4: Jones embraced Internet downloading. To this day, her official website offers fans live mp3s of almost every song from 'Come Away With Me.' The fact that she still managed to sell 8 million U.S. copies of that album is a compelling argument against the record industry's complaint that people won't buy CDs if they can get music for free.
And number 5: She preserved the legacy of jazz. Not by playing it, but by being associated with Blue Note, one of the legendary labels that pioneered it. Blue Note has taken the money from her sales and built a new pop roster around her by signing Van Morrison and Al Green while scooping up Wynton Marsalis to be the flagship of their vital jazz lineup. In the midst of marketing 'Feels Like Home,' they are also introducing a stunning 17-year-old Japanese pianist named Takashi and re-mastering bebop classics by Sonny Rollins, Grant Green and Jackie McLean.
Call it coincidence or call it karma - but Norah Jones is making a huge impact in her own subtle way.
[Track 8: "Toes"]
David Okamoto is an entertainment producer at Yahoo Broadcast and a contributing editor to ICE Magazine.