8 Time Grammy Award Winner? For Real?


I'm sure everyone out there is sick and tired of my whining. But, I (once again) feel the need to vent.

Today, (Sunday, May 25th) which happened to be a damp, drizzly day in Connecticut, Lisa (my better half) and myself, strolled into FYE in the Danbury Fair Mall. She went her way to DVD movies, and I went mine into "Pop/Rock" CDs. After about 15 minutes or so, Lisa found me at the register with a copy of Norah Jones, "Come Away With Me". As we stood in line, she looked at the CD cover and we discussed my new CD purchase. She noticed that of the 14 songs contained on the CD, only 2 were written by Norah. One song (#13) was a collaborative effort.

We further discussed the fact that many of the best artists use non-original material. But, Lisa did make an intersting comment; "Hmmm, she said. I'm surprised that someone awarded Best New Artist would only have 2 original songs". Again, an interesting observation.

Well, I didn't let that take the wind out of my sails. I just continued looking at that little blue sticker on the front of the CD case stating "8 Time Grammy Award Winner", " Album Of The Year", "Best New Artist", "Song Of The Year". I had never heard the complete album, but I figured, it's gotta be halfway decent.

Upon arriving home I put the CD through my usual ritual (Wash, Cut, Polish and Demagnetize), placed the CD In the Audiomeca and sat back to listen to this exciting new "Grammy" performance.

You're kidding, right? This is it?

O.K.,O.K. Kinda cool voice with a sandy kind of texture, (although, she sounds like she was recorded using a plastic microphone), average piano playing skills (although, on cut #1 the piano sounds like it's under water), and on cut #9, she had an almost Ricki Lee Jones "kind of" quality. Overall, not a bad recording, but I wouldn't put it high on the "sonics" list.

So, this is "today's" Grammy material Huh?

I'm certainly glad I'm not a postal worker skilled in firing automatic weapons, cause I feel like I'm losing my mind.

Has anyone found this "Grammy Award Winner" worthy of it's status?

My opinion? I'd have to concur with the title of the first song,"Don't Know Why".


buscis2
Ed, bottom line is, spectacular recordings and all, (and I have them): Can she sing? NO! They are sweet recordings, though. Her voice is, more than, tolerable, but not like this new white girl, who sounds black and cool: Madeleine Peyroux. Can't wait for her new recording. Now this is one white girl who's got Billy Holiday in her.
You're right Warren. (And I assume you're talking about Patricia Barber). But I'm grasping at straws here. And if the only straw I can grasp is recording quality, Hell, I'm goin for it.

P.S. Enjoy Norah live. Seeing a musician perform live adds a new perspective on said artist.
I picked up the N.Jones and P.Barber's "Verse" CDs the
same day.

The Jones CD sounds like it was run through some kind of processor to round off all the edges. There's no raw emotion.

"Verse" didn't impress me until I listen to it a second
time. The bottom end on this CD makes the Jones CD sound
like elevator music.
Buscis2 if sound quality becomes the overriding consideration I think that Tierney Sutton's album on Telarc surpasses all of the Barber albums. Her intonation, sense of pace and line and also her diction and phrasing as well are superior. It's a little too early to tell if she will develop her considerable gifts or drift off into the jazz lite wasteland. Some of Cassandra Wilson's efforts are also very, very well recorded; like the Chateau Petrus she is fully developed both as a writer and as an interpreter. When she sings a song, good or bad, Wilson sheds new light in the spaces between the words. She misses badly at times but that is because her choice of material is so much more adventurous and varied than anyone else mentioned. She goes for it and sometimes misses. Badly. If I had to put my money on any of these singers approaching the greats, like Billie, Ella, or to name the last in a great line that just died, Nina Simone, then it would be Wilson.