Peter Malick: New York City : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone

Album Reviews

Jones, before she was jazzy on her boffo debut, "Come away With Me," Norah Jones ably channeled jazz greats such as Billie Holiday more than just a little bit, and came away with a load of records sold and a stack of Grammys bigger than her. In the wake of that success, some enterprising souls (reportedly without Jones' permission) have released New York City, a pre-stardom collaboration with blues musician Peter Malick. As Jones may have realized, the blues really aren't her format: The Magic Sam cover "All Your Love" begins with a tremolo-wobbly riff, and Jones pulls out all the stops -- cooing, growling and otherwise demanding honey from some indeterminate king bee. As raging as that sounds, the performance is actually unremittingly mild. On a better note, the title track is a rippling ballad wherein Miss Jones does some tough-dame poesy on top of some bourbon-soaked guitars. Her grainy, older-than-her-years sultriness is so perfectly received and sent out again, it's impossible to dislike. But, somehow, it's also impossible to really, really love.

PAT BLASHILL
(RS 927, July 24, 2003)