Thank you for bearing with me during my unexpected hiatus from daily blogging. I hope my hastily assembled batch of placeholder songs (none of which I actually heard before posting) proved diverting enough in my absence.
I now return to my look at the albums of 2004, with five left to cover in the latest installment of the Decades series.
In 2004, singer-songwriter Norah Jones had the difficult job of following up her 2002 smash hit Come Away With Me, a multiple Grammy winner and one of the best-selling albums of all-time.
Her follow-up, Feels Like Home, didn’t reach the heights of its predecessor, but it was far from a disappointment. The sleepy sophomore effort sold more than 12 million copies worldwide, went quadruple platinum in the states, and won Jones another Grammy (Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, for today’s SOTD).
Feels Like Home finds Jones in the same smooth groove as her debut, wrapping her sultry voice around the lilting sounds of her piano and acoustic guitar. None of the songs is an instant classic like ‘Don’t Know Why,’ but they are all exceptionally easy on the ears.
Jones dips her toe in country with strong results, including on a duet with Dolly Parton. A plaintive cover of Tom Waits’ ‘Long Way Home’ draws quite the contrast between his gravelly vocals and her pleasing rasp.
I haven’t spent much time with Jones’ music, but every time I do I find it soul-soothing. These days that’s worth a lot.
Sunrise, sunrise
Looks like mornin’ in your eyes
But the clock’s held 9:15 for hours
Sunrise, sunrise
Couldn’t tempt us if it tried
‘Cause the afternoon’s already come and gone
[Chorus 1]
And I said
Hoo-ooh-ooh-ooh
Hoo-ooh-ooh-ooh
Hoo-ooh-ooh-ooh
To you
[Verse 2]
Surprise, surprise
Couldn’t find it in your eyes
But I’m sure it’s written all over my face
Surprise, surprise
Never something I could hide
When I see we made it through another day
[Chorus 1]
And I said
Hoo-ooh-ooh-ooh
Hoo-ooh-ooh-ooh
Hoo-ooh-ooh-ooh
To you
[Bridge]
Now the night
Will throw its cover down
On me again
Ooh, and if I’m right
It’s the only way
To bring me back
[Chorus 2]
Hoo-ooh-ooh-ooh
Hoo-ooh-ooh-ooh
Hoo-ooh-ooh-ooh
To you
Hoo-ooh-yeah
Hoo-ooh-ooh-ooh
Hoo-ooh-ooh-ooh
To you
Meet Me In Montauk 
Welcome back, both on the blog and IRL.
Is Feels Like Home a cover of my favorite Randy Newman song?! If so, how did I miss that? I’ve always liked today’s song though I’m not sure if I’m familiar with it through album or radio play. I miss listening to albums. That may be my 2023 resolution… listen to more full albums, both those I loved decades ago and ones new to me. These days, only Taylor Swift, who has dropped several albums in the past few years alone, gets the full listening treatment I used to give all music.
I answered my own question… just the album title. There’s no song by that name on the album. I did, however, find a slew of covers to check out! 👍🏼 Bryan Adam’s? Dolly Parton!
It’s actually the sublime Linda Ronstadt on lead vocals (I can’t even make out Dolly’s voice to be honest), but what a lovely rendition it is. The comment thread on that video is also delightful. It’s so rare to read one positive comment after the next of people appreciating the talents of the post that has inspired their comment. If only the rest of the social media world could follow their lead.