Norah Jones lends her voice to a duet with M.Ward. Photos by Jim Barcus/The Star
Before she and her band drifted into "Rosie's Lullaby," Norah Jones advised her audience that she was about to drift into a lullaby.
"Don't fall asleep," she said. "And if you do, don't snore." The guy in front of me did, but didn't. Good thing for him. If he had, the whole house would have heard him. It was that kind of night.
It must be good to be Norah Jones. You sell millions of records and get to play your songs with people you've known for a long time, including one you've known since you were 14. And you get to sing them in front of people who have the decency to listen to you raptly, especially in your quietest moments.
Monday night, Jones nearly filled the 2,400-seat Music Hall in downtown Kansas City. Her audience favored the fairer gender, but plenty of men were in the house, nearly all of them, it appeared, on a date with a lady. Some of the guys appeared to me more than casual fans; others looked relieved that this wasn't a Monday night in October.
Jones appeared first during the 35-minute opening set by M.Ward, a singer/songwriter and guitar-stylist from Portland, Ore. They did a nice version of Roy Orbison's "Blue Bayou" and Johnny Cash's "Guess Things Happen That Way." Then she joined Ward on one of his own, "One Life Away."
He finished his set with a stormy guitar version of a Scott Joplin ragtime piece (which had a heavy John Fahey feel) plus a few more of his own songs. He also included a '60s Dylan-style cover of Bowie's "Let's Dance" that stirred up some rowdy applause. (Anyone who liked that should check out the Last Town Chorus' version of "Modern Love.")
After a short break, Jones reappeared with her band, wearing a red Fender guitar, which she played during a tasty revision of "Come Away With Me," one of her first hits. The rest of her 95-minute set would sustain pretty much the same pulse and vibe -- one that confirmed that the most compelling part of her show, by far, is her beautiful voice, which seems to sing even when she speaks. ( Her ego-less personality comes in a close second.)
Her shows (like her songs) are void of sweat and hormones. Instead of sex, they stick to love, flirting and romance, which is to be expected, I supposed, at a show where no one stands, much less dances.
Her band is good -- polished and tight -- but not consistently dynamic. Lead guitarist Adam Levy is a poor man's Mark Knopfler. His leads are clean and serviceable, but not especially clever or unique. And he tends to noodle and fill a little too much, creating a distraction from her vocals.
The highlights: I still really like her cover of Hank Williams' "Cold, Cold Heart," and she gave it some crackle and pop, like she hasn't already sung it 1,000 times. The others: "My Dear Country," her op-ed anti-war statement, which ignited some whoops and applause; "Little Room," her duet with bandmate Daru Oda ("we've known each other since we were 14"), which included some whistling that energized the crowd; the loud and raucous version of "Creepin' In," in which M.Ward appeared to play the part of Dolly Parton; and her covers of Willie Nelson's "Hands on the Wheel" and the Dixie Cups' "I'm Gonna Get You Yet."
Her first encore (and biggest hit), "Don't Know Why," ignited a big response, but one of my favorite tunes all night was her finale: a cover of Tom Waits' "Long Way Home." Jones doesn't have Waits' charisma or grit, but given her meteoric and stratospheric success, you could argue that she, more than he, has the right to sing about throwing money off a train.
| Timothy Finn, The Star
SETLISTS
Norah Jones: Come Away With Me; What Did You Say; Thinking About You; Be My Somebody; Rosie's Lullaby; The Sun Doesn't Like You; Not My Friend; I've Got To See You Again; Cold, Cold Heart; Sunrise; Sinkin' Soon; My Dear Country; Little Room; Wish I Could; I'm Gonna Get You Yet; Until the End; Broken; Creepin' In; Hands on the Wheel. Encores: Don't Know Why; Not Too Late; Long Way Home.
M.Ward: Blue Bayou; Guess Things Happen That Way; One Life Away (all three with Norah Jones); Chinese Translation; Someday You'll Be Sorry; Poor Boy, Minor Key; Let's Dance; Undertaker.
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