SXSW: Norah Jones Performs New Album In Its Entirety
"It's a little scary sharing these songs with new people, but we're all friends, right?" asked Norah Jones midway through her hour-long South by Southwest set at La Zona Rosa. The Texas native debuted her upcoming new album Broken Little Hearts in its entirety for the first time last night to an intimate crowd, some of whom waited hours to see the singer.
Jones stuck to the idea of SXSW as a breeding ground for new music, telling Associated Press, "I’m just going to play the new record. I’m not even going to play any old songs because it’s South By Southwest. It doesn’t seem wrong to do it that way. It’s fun. This is a festival. It’s for new bands but it’s also just for new stuff, so it feels right to do the new record." Music industry: please send this quote to every artist you represent.
The 40-minute album is Jones' most personal and introspective of her career; a concept album detailing a painful breakup whose tone last night remained somber and meditative throughout.
Not to say Jones herself was Debbie Downer. The singer joked and chatted with the crowd, discussing her dependence on Mexican food at the festival and reveling in her new black-and-white striped dress.
Still, Broken's lyrics convey a sense of heartache in nearly every song. "She's 22/and she's loving you/Never knew how it makes me blue," Jones sings on "She's 22." On "Happy Pills," Jones sings, "You broke this apart/So pick up your piece and go away from here."
Musically, the album channels Sergio Leone's sweeping Western soundtracks and Angelo Badalamenti's dark, brooding scores, as slow-building, swirling synths blended with slight country twangs. Jones played acoustic guitar, electric guitar, piano and wurlitzer, and even when the music picked up, as on "After the Fall," the vibe remained mellow.
At last night's show, though, Jones wasn't lacking for suitors. When one fan asked her on a date, she playfully replied, “I’m taken. No, I’m busy. I’ve got like 20 bands to see. I think we should start the next song.”
21m
23m
46m
45m
22m
20m
1m
2m
41m
56s
20m
1h 24m
22m
20m
20m
1m
21m
22m
45m
1h 21m
1m
22m
20m
21m
3m
2m
2m
20m
21m
24m
20m
41m
23m
55m
2m
3m
20m
45m
56s
3m
20m
21m
2m
40m
1h 39m
44m
20m
21m
1h 21m
14m
2m
21m
6m
7m
1m
22m
43s
6m
6m
46s
45m
41m
21m
22m
44m
21m
20m
22m
21m
22m
24m
1h 5m
1h 11m
20m
4m
3m
1h 28m
23m
20m
1h 43m
44m
1h 25m
20m
3657s
21m
1m
2m
1m
1h 2m
18m
1h 23m
1m
56m
1h 23m
1h 3m
20m
2m
2m
2m
2m