Norah Jones and The Handsome Band - Live in 2004
Norah Jones's growth as a performing artist since she burst on the scene in 2002 is apparent onNorah Jones and the Handsome Band: Live in 2004, her second concert DVD (followingLive in New Orleans, released in '03). The gifted singer-pianist-songwriter is still something of a reluctant headliner; personable if not exactly effusive (and seemingly bemused by the adulation), she's self-effacing and winningly unpretentious onstage. That goes for the music as well, as Jones and her empathetic band (now including guitarist Robbie McIntosh, formerly of the Pretenders and Paul McCartney's band) put on a tasteful, understated show at Nashville's Ryman Auditorium. Songs from her second CD,Feels Like Home, are favored, along with a version of the Grammy-winning "Don't Know Why" that's received with near-reverence by the audience. Jones's choice of cover material, including tunes by John Prine ("That's the Way the World Goes 'Round"), Tom Waits ("The Long Way Home"), and Gram Parsons ("She," which is among the several bonus tracks; other extras include two videos and three "mini-documentaries"), is also admirable, but it's when her various guests show up that the show approaches genuine transcendence. Among them are Gillian Welch and David Rawlings, who harmonize beautifully with Jones on Townes Van Zandt's "Loretta," and the indefatigable Dolly Parton, whose duet with Jones on bassist Lee Alexander's bluegrass-flavored "Creepin' In" is the undisputed highlight of the show. Radiant, ebullient, and in great voice, Parton is astar, and Norah defers to her accordingly. The only problem comes when Jones and company have to pick up where Parton left off, and in truth, it takes them a while to recover.--Sam Graham