CD Review: Norah Jones

... Little Broken Hearts

(Blue Note/EMI)

Wed, May 2, 2012 at 4:00 am

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After contributing vocals to Danger Mouse's Rome last year, Norah Jones teams up with the busy producer for her fifth album, a summit of their respective musical worlds. Jones offers her usual sultry tones, while Danger Mouse injects subtle but inventive textures into ... Little Broken Hearts' 12 tracks. Many songs play out like a morning-after hangover of a love gone wrong. On the opening "Good Morning," a loop of strings is met by a rising Jones, who realizes that a chance of romance isn't nearly as bright as the daylight peeking through her curtains. Later, she tries to move on without much luck: "So you tried to replace me, but you didn't get far/And I tried to repay you, but I only got scarred," she sings on "4 Broken Hearts." There's lots of remorse on this repetitive but hypnotic journey, which traces the wounds of Jones' heart. — John Patrick Gatta