Touring behind her finest album in several years, the mellow and infectious “Day Breaks,” Norah Jones came to Portland on a frigid Friday evening and played a set of music that was lively and wide-reaching.
Jones rose to fame as a jazz crooner and gifted pianist on the strength of her 2002 album “Come Away with Me,” which has sold an unthinkable 26 million copies to date, but her stage performance also emphasized the pop, folk, and country influences in her catalogue.
Concert review
WHO: Norah Jones
WHERE: State Theatre, Portland
REVIEWED: Friday, Dec. 9
She opened with a cover of “Everybody Knows,” one of the most recognizable songs by recently deceased Leonard Cohen, replacing his near-spoken-word delivery with a vocal melody that slithered menacingly and adding a cabaret-style piano that gave the song a sultry feel. It was one of a few impeccably chosen cover songs, including Neil Young’s semi-obscure “Don’t Be Denied” (which is also on “Day Breaks”) and a show-stopping rendition of the Grateful Dead’s languid country ballad, “It Must Have Been the Roses.”
She performed the latter song on acoustic guitar, one of several songs in which she used the instrument – even swapping it out for an electronic keyboard for “Chasing Pirates” and an electric guitar for the brief rock number “Don’t Know What It Means” (written with her other band, Puss N Boots). This stretch provided variation from the jazz and Cole-Porter-esque pop that bookended the set, but those sections were full of highlights as well. The torch song “I’ve Got to See You Again,” the herky-jerky “Sinkin’ Soon,” the gorgeous “Tragedy” were all resounding triumphs and, of course, her breakout hit, “Don’t Know Why,” received the biggest crowd response.
Taken as a whole, the performance was highly professional yet also came across as casual and unfussed. The lighting was well considered and evocative, as diagonal lines of bright color braided with white spotlights, with each song in a different palette. Jones’ band was huddled close together at the center of the stage, physically suggesting an intimacy that was reflected in their play. The rhythm section stayed deep in the pocket throughout, while a guitarist and additional keyboardist added a variety of hues and occasionally took brief yet crowd-pleasing solos.
The performance was also a nice test for the sound system at the State Theatre, which often hosts bands that rely more on volume and force than multi-instrumental nuance and moments that require quiet and attentiveness. The venue pulled it off magnificently, offering the audience a rich, robust sound – although it also helps when the artist is successful enough to afford touring with a grand piano, which sounded stunning in the room. Her voice was also in as fine a form as anyone could have hoped – smooth and soulful, with enough chalky huskiness to give it character. It all sounded completely luxurious, from the front row of the theater to the balcony.
Robert Ker is a freelance writer who lives in Portland.
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