Wikipedia

Begin Again (Norah Jones album)

Begin Again is a compilation album[1][2] by American singer-songwriter Norah Jones, released through Blue Note Records on April 12, 2019.[3] The collection is a compilation of singles Jones recorded from 2018 to 2019,[4] and includes collaborations with Jeff Tweedy and Thomas Bartlett.[5] Jones planned to tour Australia and the US in support of the album, before the COVID-19 pandemic.[6]

Begin Again
Compilation album by
Norah Jones
ReleasedApril 12, 2019 (2019-04-12)
Recorded2018–2019
GenrePop
Length28:53
LabelBlue Note
ProducerThomas Bartlett, Jeff Tweedy, Norah Jones
Norah Jones chronology
Live at Ronnie Scott's
(2018) 		Begin Again
(2019) 		Pick Me Up Off the Floor
(2020)

Background and recording

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Jones said of the album that she wanted to record different things, in particular songs that were "quick and fun and easy and low-pressure", including collaborations with musicians that took no more than three days in the studio.[4] She did not want to plan ahead aside from voice memo ideas, but to "create in the moment".[7]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic70/100[8]
Review scores
SourceRating

Begin Again has a score of 70 out of 100 from Metacritic based on 5 reviews. On the music blog Idolator Mike Wass calls the musicians involved in the album and the final outcome "eclectic", concluding that "the resulting songs are some of the most inventive of her career."[7] Gabriel Fine wrote in his album review for Consequence of Sound that "there is something thrillingly free about the songs on Begin Again. They resist simple categorization and are experimental in the sense that they embody an unabashed confluence of Jones’ many musical inspirations", and sees that "much of the propulsion on the record comes from Jones’ personnel, who she manages to brilliantly highlight without losing her creative reigns."[9]

Track listing

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No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."My Heart Is Full"Norah Jones, Thomas BartlettBartlett3:06
2."Begin Again"Norah Jones, Emily FiskioJones3:50
3."It Was You"JonesJones5:30
4."A Song with No Name"Jones, Jeff TweedyTweedy4:03
5."Uh Oh"Jones, BartlettBartlett3:36
6."Wintertime"Jones, TweedyTweedy3:48
7."Just a Little Bit"Jones, Sarah Oda, Brian Blade, Christopher ThomasJones5:02
Total length:28:53

Personnel

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  • Norah Jones - vocals, piano (tracks 2-7), acoustic guitar and celesta (4), Rhodes electric piano and drums (5), electric organ (7)
  • Thomas Bartlett - keyboards, piano and OP-1 synthesizer (1, 5), drum programming (5)
  • Jeff Tweedy - electric guitar (4, 6), acoustic guitar (4), electric bass (6)
  • Pete Remm - Hammond B3 organ (2, 3)
  • Christopher Thomas - bass (2, 3, 7)
  • Brian Blade - drums (2, 3, 7)
  • Leon Michels - tenor saxophone (3, 7)
  • Dave Guy - trumpet (3, 7)
  • Spencer Tweedy - drums (6)

Technical

  • Thomas Bartlett - recording (1, 5)
  • Patrick Dillett - recording (2, 3, 7), mixing (1, 5, 7)
  • Andy Taub and Jens Jungkurth - recording (3)
  • James Yost - recording assistant (2, 3, 7)
  • Genevieve Nelson - recording assistant (3)
  • Tom Schick - recording and mixing (4, 6)
  • Mark Greenberg - recording assistant (4, 6)
  • Homer Steinweiss - recording of horns (7)
  • Tom Elmhirst - mixing (2, 3)
  • Brandon Bost - mixing engineer (2, 3)
  • Chris Gehringer - mastering
  • Will Quinnell - mastering assistant
  • Frank Harkins - art direction, design
  • Clay Patrick McBride - photography

Charts

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Chart (2019) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[10] 14
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[11] 31
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[12] 29
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[13] 25
Czech Albums (ČNS IFPI)[14] 51
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[15] 50
French Albums (SNEP)[16] 42
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[17] 35
Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ)[18] 34
Japan Hot Albums (Billboard Japan)[19] 28
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[20] 18
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[21] 21
Polish Albums (ZPAV)[22] 47
Scottish Albums (OCC)[23] 50
South Korean Albums (Gaon)[24] 84
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[25] 30
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[26] 11
US Billboard 200[27] 164

References

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  1. ^ "Album Review: Norah Jones Revels in Exploration on the Brief Begin Again". Consequence of Sound. 2019-04-09. Retrieved 2020-11-09.
  2. ^ "Norah Jones: Begin Again Review". pastemagazine.com. 2019-04-10. Retrieved 2020-11-09.
  3. ^ Micucci, Matt (March 22, 2019). "Norah Jones, Leonard Cohen, Django Reinhardt: The Week in Jazz". JAZZIZ Magazine. Retrieved March 24, 2019.
  4. ^ a b Doyle, Patrick (February 22, 2019). "Norah Jones Announces Experimental New Project 'Begin Again'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 14, 2019.
  5. ^ "Tours announced: Norah Jones, Sharon Van Etten, Broken Social Scene, US Girls, more". BrooklynVegan. February 21, 2019. Retrieved March 14, 2019.
  6. ^ "Norah Jones To Release Collection Of Singles Recorded Over The Past Year". FM 100.3. 25 February 2019. Retrieved March 14, 2019.
  7. ^ a b Wass, Mike (February 25, 2019). "Norah Jones Compiles 7 Eclectic Singles On 'Begin Again'". Idolator. Retrieved March 14, 2019.
  8. ^ "Begin Again By Norah Jones Reviews And Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved April 19, 2019.
  9. ^ Gabriel Fine's album review on Consequence of Sound.
  10. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Norah Jones – Begin Again". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 20, 2019.
  11. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Norah Jones – Begin Again" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 25, 2019.
  12. ^ "Ultratop.be – Norah Jones – Begin Again" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 19, 2019.
  13. ^ "Ultratop.be – Norah Jones – Begin Again" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 19, 2019.
  14. ^ "Czech Albums – Top 100". ČNS IFPI. Note: On the chart page, select 16.Týden 2019 on the field besides the words "CZ – ALBUMS – TOP 100" to retrieve the correct chart. Retrieved April 24, 2019.
  15. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Norah Jones – Begin Again" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 19, 2019.
  16. ^ "Le Top de la semaine : Top Albums Fusionnes – SNEP (Week 16, 2019)" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Archived from the original on 2019-04-22. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
  17. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Norah Jones – Begin Again" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved April 18, 2019.
  18. ^ "Album Top 40 slágerlista – 2019. 16. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
  19. ^ "Begin Again on Billboard Japan Hot Albums". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  20. ^ "Oricon Top 50 Albums: 2019-04-22" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
  21. ^ "NZ Top 40 Albums Chart". Recorded Music NZ. April 29, 2019. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
  22. ^ "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLiS - Official Retail Sales Chart". OLiS. Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved May 2, 2019.
  23. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 20, 2019.
  24. ^ "Gaon Album Chart – Week 15, 2019". Gaon Chart (in Korean). Retrieved April 18, 2019.
  25. ^ "Top 100 Albumes – Semana 16: del 12.4.2019 al 18.4.2019" (in Spanish). Productores de Música de España. Retrieved April 25, 2019.
  26. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Norah Jones – Begin Again". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 24, 2019.
  27. ^ "Norah Jones Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
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