When Norah Jones performed at Scullers several weeks ago, she impressed with her vocal authority, her unique blend of jazz and country, and her chamber-music arrangements. But her presentation was relentlessly "intimate" and small-scale. On her debut CD (set up with plenty of advance hype for this attractive 22-year-old New York–born daughter of Ravi Shankar), she’s equally lulling, but it’s a little easier to credit her vocal skills in your easy chair a few minutes at a time than in a club chair for 50. Her dry, smoky voice still curls around phrases and bends blue notes with intuitive ease. Her jazzy delivery and piano (emphasizing the blues connection) give these country-style nuggets a good twist, and the backing of acoustic guitars, the occasional moaning slide, a harmonium-like pump organ, even some strings, are all tasteful and expertly deployed.
But most impressive here are the shapes of the tunes. Jones and her cohort can write a chord change that makes a hook a hook, so "Don’t Know Why" (by guitarist Jesse Harris), "Lonestar" (by bassist Lee Alexander) and her own "Come Away with Me" are like adult-contemporary comfort food that’s worth a second helping. (How many bands have this much songwriting talent?) And it doesn’t hurt that she sweetens the pot with some nuggets from Hank Williams ("Cold Cold Heart"), Hoagy Carmichael ("The Nearness of You"), and Nina Simone (via J.D. Loudermilk’s "Turn Me On").