I received a copy of Norah Jones' second (oops) third album, Not Too Late.

The first thing you notice is that the cover is a little "darker" than her previous CDs. As a matter of fact, the kid said it was "kinda scary". But, be assured, the album isn't scary.

There are no covers on here, I think she wrote all of the songs. She is a talented young lady ("young lady"? When did I turn into an 80 year old man?), and, like her other albums, her songs are a sultry blend of jazz, blues, some country, and, soul. There are a couple of songs with a political slant, which is not my preference from a recording artist, but, it's not a show stopper, I liked the album, anyway.

I'm trying to avoid the cliche of describing someone's successive collections as "more mature" than the last one, but, well, I can't. It is more mature, the songs are deep, and, there's not a lot of a "pop" feel to it. Norah's music isn't the kind that makes you want to get up and dance, but, it's best enjoyed on a lazy Sunday morning with something warm to drink.

Actually, you can and should enjoy it anytime, just work with me here to set a mood, OK?

Check out "Not Too Late" (Windows Media, has sound) and "Thinking About You" (Windows Media, has sound), and, I believe you can catch her over at Rehearsals.com, too.