On a technical level, Norah Jones’ Little Broken Hearts is perfect. So perfect, in fact, that the album as a whole is thoroughly bland. Produced and co-written by Brian “Danger Mouse” Burton, Jones’ fifth album is as smooth as it gets; the vocals, lyrics, and production value are all exquisite in their careful precision. Yet it quickly becomes clear that not much soul lies beneath the album’s glossy charm. The emotion of “She’s 22” is palpable, but for the most part, the listener is left with very little sense of Jones’ emotional involvement in her music, as though she is offering us her diary without handing over the key. Tracks like “After The Fall” which are presumably intended to be raw and personal lack any sense of immediacy because they are so carefully crafted and over-produced. With that said, the record does not fail to deliver the crooning, bittersweet melodies that have made Norah Jones a household name. And with popular artists like Jones, perhaps predictability is ultimately what her fans crave.
