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Norah Jones - Live in New Orleans

Norah Jones - Live in New Orleans

List Price: $14.98
Your Price: $11.24
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: INTIMATE NORAH
Review: A wonderful DVD capturing Norah's gorgoeus and effortless voice, simple yet elegant band. The camera angles capture her talent on key boards, both a standard Steinway grand and moody Wurlitzer organ.

My only demerit is for Norah's unsteady and nervous stage presence which is understandable and almost cute, considering her age and meteoric rise to international stardom.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great DVD!
Review: This is a well recorded concert DVD and an excellent value. Both the picture quality and the sound quality are very good. Everyone I've shown it to has loved it and several have bought it for their own collection. In addition to watching it as a concert, it makes very nice background music during dinner. We like it so much that we've used it as a gift on a couple of occasions where a small gift would be appropriate.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: The whole world in front of her
Review: Norah Jones seems to have filled a void in the music industry, recalling past female rock singers/songwriters such as Carley Simon and Rickie Lee Jones. There really isn't much that is new here, but Jones does have a style all her own that is very pleasant to see and hear. The music seems to come from within and flow effortlessly outward to a public that appears to have grown jaded with teeny boppers like Britney Spears. While I don't imagine Jones will displace Spears and her ilk, she certainly provides for a refreshing alternative on the airwaves, and hopefully will encourage other young women songwriters to follow suit. "Come Away With Me," would be an apt description of this DVD. It provides for a nice musical flight of fantasy and even a few improvisations, which show that Norah Jones has the whole world in front of her.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: This is for you Norah
Review: She is simply the best artist in the world. I love her sweet jazzy tunes, lovely voice and piano playing and her handsom band. You would love how all of them play their instruments they seem very cautious with every note they play. Such a perfect quartet. Buy this, you wouldn't regret, take my word.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Misspent youth
Review: I thought I'd check out this new bright young chanteuse to see what the youth were up to. Well, at the risk I'm sure of offending all the complimemtary reviewers and legions of Norah Jones fans I'd have to say that this is one of the most boring concerts I've ever been sedated by. OK I probably should have realized what this was about before listening, but Gee Whiz!! The band looks more conservative than most bankers and dentists....Norah gives new meaning to the lyrics from Hey Nineteen...sweet but very very dull. (Just check out that sparky chatter between tunes.) Where's the spark, the angst, the intensity of youth? Not to be seen here. A very slick, safe and unchallenging offering is presented. It's not jazz. (Try Billie Holiday, or even Diana Krall in Paris) It's not blues (Try Robert Johnson). It's generic elevator music. If things are played this safe when you're Ms Jones' age, I can't imagine how conservative her musical future will be. About as exciting as a trip to the bank I imagine.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Excellent performance
Review: I really enjoyed this DVD. I have Norah's album and think she is a talented singer, but, based on some live performance downloads from her web site, I prefer the way she sings live. The album songs are more slickly produced but she is SO laid back; live she loosens up a little. Some reviews have compared her to Diana Krall but personally, I would much rather listen to Norah. DK is an excellent musician and performer, but her style seems to be more for the jazz purist, which I am not. In addition, she is rather cold and steely in here singing. Norah, by comparison has a warmth that I really love and her lack of stage banter seems to suggest that her show is about music. Had I come for banter, I would have sought out a comedy show. This early in her career, it's hard to tell whether she will be able to sustain this level of excellence, but I hope she does. I also like her band, which had a minimalist touch that is perfect for her light, breezy, eclectic style. I cringe at the thought that whe would adopt slick gowns and string sections as some reviewers seem to suggest. It's been a number of years since I was so enthusiastic about a new singer.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: One viewing is enough
Review: Not sure what all the fuss is about Norah Jones! I rented this DVD after listening to her album a few times and feel that one viewing is enough (as another reviewer also stated). She comes across very nervous on stage, and there is very little talking from her. There are some added bonuses on the DVD including "Tennessee Waltz". Now, I really love this song - but no-one does it quite like Eva Cassidy.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Some fine tunes from a fine singer
Review: I purchased this DVD without ever having heard Norah Jones, or at least I thought I hadn't. After playing it, however, I did recognize two of her hits. I bought it because of the genre and because I was hoping she would be similar to Diana Krall, which is one of my favorites.

The two artists are similar in many respects, the most obvious being that they are both vocalists, pianists, and have a similar style.

I do like this DVD. Norah Jones is a great talent. But she's not yet up to par with Krall. Compared to Diana Krall's "Live in Paris" concert DVD, Jones's lacks polish and class.

Although her music is fine, the overal performance seems almost like a practice session. Primarily, her accompanyists are not nearly up to par with her singing ability. The drums sounded like a cheap toy set. And, compared to Krall's full orchestral accompaniment, Norah Jones's accompaniment was a tad sparse.

Krall's sleek black dress, suit-clad musicians, and polished style contrasts sharply to Jones's casual attire, garage-band musicians, and relaxed demeanor. Their respective pianos are metaphors for their shows. Both are Steinways, but Krall's is brilliantly polished and reflective while Jones's is dull.

Not having a large number of accompanying musicians, it is not surprising that the Norah Jones DVD's 5.1 surround sound does not have enough separation. It is basically in stereo, with the surround speakers being relegated to applause from the audience.

Still, Jones is an excellent pianist with a great Blues quality to her voice. I did enjoy the DVD as I'm sure all Norah Jones fans will. Though not as polished as Diana Krall, the concert was still entertaining.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Norah looks nervous...
Review: I loved Norah's CD, but she looks and acts so nervous here (in between numbers) that I found it distracting. As another reviewer commented, give the woman a towel... The DVD's 5.1 sound was excellent, the musicianship was as extraordinary as her CD--except for her guitarist, whose instrument was out of tune.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Fetching
Review: I liked Norah Jones' CD okay, though I thought a number of tracks were weak. I hadn't jumped on the bandwagon, but I have more enthusiasm for her after seeing this DVD, for a simple reason: it makes clear that she's about the music, not about being a "star."

I don't really understand people complaining about her lack of chit chat or her lack of playing to the crowd. I've never heard Bob Dylan or Isaac Stern do a lot of talky-talk in live performance, and neither gets by on personal charisma. (If I want talky-talk, I'll go see a stand-up comic.) Jones joins that tiny group of popular musicians whose concern is mainly music--and in this, she is extraordinary. Her voice, of course, is quite good--but what sets her apart is her inventive, arresting musicianship, which is first rate.

The Dolby 5.1 adds nice dimension.

I thought the drummer was uneven in his playing--very good on up-tempo, but inconsistent on some of the more intimate pieces. The guitarist is quite good, but sometimes sloppy. The bass player didn't miss a lick.

Whether Norah Jones develops into a major presence, or becomes someone who just does the same thing over and over every couple of years remains to be seen. But this debut DVD deserves a wide audience.


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