Did Norah Jones Have One of the Most Radically Diverse 3 Album Runs of All-Time?

After a number of years I’ve come to the realization that the older I get, the more I appreciate the music of Norah Jones.

Recently, I’ve expanded on that a bit, as after checking out more of her work, and her various side projects, I think Norah Jones might very well be one of the most interesting people in all of music, and I’m absolutely sure her record collection is nothing short of epic.

A perfect set of examples as to why I feel this way can be found in her nearly two year run from the beginning of 2012 through the winter of 2013, where she released three albums that were so wildly different from each other you couldn’t imagine any other artist attempting such a wide breadth of genres in such a short period of time.

This made me wonder – did Norah Jones have one of the most radically diverse three album runs of all-time?

It all started in January of 2012, with a good time …

The Little Willies – For the Good Times

 

Norah kicked off her 2012 with the release of the sophomore album from her country side project The Little Willies.

Titled For the Good Times, it featured covers of country classics that the band had been performing together for quite a while. What makes this album so interesting isn’t just that Norah sounds good performing these songs, it’s that she sounds so at home with them that you’d think she’d been a country artist for her entire career.

If she felt like taking over the genre, she easily could, but there’s a strong possibility that this side project is something she’s doing for pure enjoyment, which, in my mind, makes it even cooler.

Norah Jones – Little Broken Hearts

 

In April of 2012, just three months after Norah gave country fans something to enjoy, she released her fifth studio album, titled Little Broken Hearts. The project featured a truly unexpected producer – Danger Mouse.

Yes, that Danger Mouse, of Danger Doom fame (who I interviewed back in 2005 for a massive Danger Doom cover story for Elemental Magazine).

With an album cover designed as an homage to the 1965 Russ Meyer film Mudhoney, Little Broken Hearts had a very different sound for Norah. She dove into songs that could draw comparisons to the work of Wax Tailor, Portishead, and even Mazzy Star, and the results were fantastic.

After listening to this album I began to think Norah could do just about anything, and do it well. She also ascended my list of people I’d love to hang out with and talk music.

Billie Joe + Norah – Foreverly

 

Fast-forwarding to 2013, Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day was working on a unique project involving the music of The Everly Brothers when Norah Jones’ name came up as a possible duet partner.

Calls were made, and in November of 2013 the collaborative album Foreverly was released.

A reinterpretation of The Everly Brothers’ 1958 album Songs Our Daddy Taught Us, the project showed new sides of both Norah, and Billie Joe, although it shouldn’t be surprising that both have such a huge respect for the old school legends.

If you’re looking for a boisterous pick-me-up, this isn’t the album for you, but as an homage to a duo that doesn’t get talked about nearly enough, it’s something that could inspire listeners to dig through some crates of vinyl to look for old forgotten records.

What a wild two years, right? To go from classic country, to working with Danger Mouse, to collaborating with Green Day’s frontman on an album of Everly Brothers covers.

Was it one of the most radically diverse three album runs of all-time?

Personally, I think it deserves a mention in the conversation (and yes, I hang out with people who have these types of conversations!).