Norah Jones: Not Too Late

Label: Blue Note

Sound/Style: rootsy and low-key pop distilled from country, jazz and R&B

Norah Jones embodies the old saying that big things sometimes come in little packages. Not only has the diminutive, doll-faced singer displayed a broad command of jazz, blues, pop, and country styles, but she and her associates continue to fuse these into music that increasingly expands beyond easy categories. Her multi-million-selling Come Away With Me revealed Jones’ affinity for cocktail jazz in particular, though her follow-up stretched out with material by historic African-American composer Duke Ellington and gravel-throated neo-beatnik Tom Waits. On her third long-player, Not Too Late, she steps up as a songwriter, channeling her eclectic tastes into her most left-field sounds to date. Jones’s knack for subtlety and accessibility allow her more offbeat and sophisticated choices to flow into the pop pipeline, though some fans may find them a tad hard to digest.