The #19 Album of All-Time in the Rock Era--"Come Away with Me" by Norah Jones

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#19 for All-Time in the Rock Era*--Come Away with Me from Norah Jones. In a time when music had fallen into a terrible period, Jones helped rescue it, at least temporarily. There hadn't been a talent like her in years, perhaps a decade or more. Jones incorporated elements of jazz, folk, soul and country into this smooth debut. And she hasn't slowed down since.

Come Away with Me finished the year 2002 as the #1 album on most "album of the year" lists. It spent four weeks at #1, one week at #2 and four weeks at #3. The album remained in the Top 10 for 36 weeks and on the chart for 153 weeks (nearly three years).  It has sold 10 million copies in an incredibly short time and has an outstanding Track Rating* of 9.11.

The album was one of the most-honored of the Rock Era.  Eight Grammy Awards were bestowed upon Come Away with Me--Album of the Year,  Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance (for "Don't Know Why", Best Pop Vocal Album, Best Engineered Album--Non-Classical and Producer of the Year--Non-Classical, and a Best New Artist statue for Jones.  She won a BRIT Award for Best International Breakthrough Artist.



Jones was also nominated at the American Music Awards for Favorite Album.  She was nominated for Album of the Year, Female Artist of the Year and Internet Artist of the Year at the Billboard Music Awards, for Best International Album and Best International Female Solo Artist at the BRIT Awards and "Don't Know Why" was nominated for a MTV Video Music Award.

This will only affect the album's placing in The Top Albums of the World* when Inside the Rock Era presents that list, but Come Away with Me was on the German chart for 141 weeks, one of the longest-running albums of all-time.  It was number one in Canada, Australia and the U.K.

What you won't find on this album are a boatload of smash hit singles.  What you will find is an album full of great songs.  "Don't Know Why", "Come Away with Me" and "Turn Me On" were the singles; the former was the biggest hit of the three, reaching #4 on the Adult Contemporary chart and #30 on the so-called "popular chart".  All are much better than radio would have you believe.  "Cold Cold Heart", "Lonestar", "I've Got to See You Again", "One Flight Down" and "Nightingale" are all excellent tracks.

Come Away with Me:

1.   "Don't Know Why" (Jesse Harris) --3:06
2.   "Seven Years" (Lee Alexander) --2:25
3.   "Cold Cold Heart" (Hank Williams) --3:38
4  . "Feelin' the Same Way" (Alexander) --2:55
5.   "Come Away with Me" (Norah Jones) --3:18
6.   "Shoot the Moon" (Harris) --3:57
7.   "Turn Me On" (John D. Loudermilk) --2:33
8.   "Lonestar" (Alexander) --3:05
9.   "I've Got to See You Again" (Harris) --4:13
10. "Painter Song" (Alexander, J.C. Hopkins) --2:41
11. "One Flight Down" (Harris) --3:03
12. "Nightingale" (Jones) --4:11
13. "The Long Day Is Over" (Jones, Harris) --2:44
14. "The Nearness of You" (Hoagy Carmichael, Ned Washington) --3:09

 

Jones played piano, electric piano and wurlitzer on the album. Lee Alexander played bass, Brian Blade was on drums and percussion, Joseph Quevedo played drums, Kenny Wollesen played percussion, Kevin Breit played acoustic, electric and National steel guitar, Jesse Harris and Adam Levy played both acoustic and electric guitar, Tony Scherr played acoustic and slide guitar, Bill Frisell played electric guitar, Adam Rogers played guitar, Rob Burger was on accordion and pump organ, Jenny Scheinman played violin and Sam Yahel played Hammond organ.

Come Away with Me was recorded in 2001 at Sorcerer Sound in New York City and Allaire Studios in Shokan, New York.  Norah Jones, Arif Mardin, Jay Newland and Craig Street produced the album; the engineers were S. Husky Hoskulds and Newland.  Mardin and Newland mixed the album while Ted Jensen and Mark Wilder mastered it.  Jessica Novod designed the album and was also the Art Director and Joanne Savio was the photographer.  It was released February 26, 2002 on Blue Note Records.

The incredible album from Norah Jones Come Away with Me places at #19 All-Time*.