By Jonathan Widran
Nearly 20 years after Norah Jones artful fusion of jazz, country, blues, folk and pop fueled her to superstardom with her five-time Grammy winning debut Come Away With Me, the insightful singer-songwriter is still tugging hearts with her warmth, intimacy and unique insights on the human condition. Put together from a growing batch of single session songs that she had yet to release, her latest collection Pick Me Up Off the Floor finds her balancing fear and freedom, heartbreak and hope, sadness and survival and all emotional points in between as she breezes through various rhythm schemes and shares her passions for ominous blues, orchestral pop jazz, elegant, shimmering soul and sparsely rendered Americana. “If there’s a darkness to this album, it’s not meant to be an impending sense of doom,” Jones says. “It feels more like a human longing for connection.” She creates vibrant but slow-caressing atmospheres around her vocal and piano with a variety of hypnotic instruments, including electric and upright bass, Hammond B-3 organ, cello, pedal steel guitar, sax and trumpet. Even when her lyrics shade slightly optimistic, the overall dusky, haunting and pin drop tender flow of the 11-track set finds a perfect pairing with the earthy elegance of Lynmar Estates 2018 Susanna’s Vineyard Pinot Noir from the Sonoma Coast. Just as Jones’ seductive vocals take us on a deeply textured, frequently shadowy but often uplifting journey, the wine has a bright, lifted acidity that keeps it fresh and crisp on the lengthy palate.