Village Voice's Jane Dark on Norah Jones: Bitchy!

Jane D you rockist!

Joking aside, history won't give a fuck. Who is Norah Jones (and can we etc.)

CALVIN JOHNSON DOOOOOOOOOOOD!!!! NOT KURDT!

Furthermore, they're not even that: they're musicians who got signed by big labels, and are willing to play whatever marketing game their labels use to promote their music/product. I hate it when writers talk about these people as if they're television shows or bars of soap.

Can someone please tell me who Norah Jones is and whether she's any good?

Tom, in that quote, Dark seems to be equating the person with the marketing, thus making her a commodity rather than a musician. You don't buy *Norah*, you buy Norah's CD.

And for the record, I don't care for her stuff very much. She is a jazz-pop artist, something like a cross between Apple and Sade. Maybe that sounds great, but it's only OK to my ears.

And what about THE MUSIC? Stupid sociology horsecrap whatever (which is almost true, as Marcello noted), but THE MUSIC, you fools. Have a problem with the marketing, sure (since these rockist chickies are being sold to Adult Contemporary radio as non-pop alternatives), but then THE MUSIC, damn it. (Holding back the years? What's Steely Dan have to do with this cognitive dissonance re: pop music?)

And is the problem really w/ the marketers or the press? I vote "press", because they should be able to 1) weed out the slogans and pretty stickers and get to discussing the task at hand which is 2) THE MUSIC, you turd hopping dilletantes. Given a few more paragraphs / rope, I'd hope Jane would experience an epiphany similar to Ryan Pitchfork's spiritual tussle w/ Andrew WK, because damn if you're not going to work up such a head of steam unless there's something in all that pent-up anger and rage that smells a little like sweet love.

And, Tom, for what it's worth, I'm a fan of this Norah Jones record, so start running in the other direction. The descriptions above are pretty accurate on the shrugging side, though I'd say she's more standards-y (which is "jazz", I guess), and very purty (in that narcoleptic sigh-heavy bordering on innocuous fashion).

This is true.

And a girl to boot, so please update your table, mark.

David - pop criticism doesnt need to talk about 'the music' when knowledge of that is assumed, as in this case where Dark's addressing the people who've bought NJ already.

What Mr Dark meant to say was, "hey kids if you're buying Alicia Keys or Norah Jones you're working for The Man," but adopting the usual contempt for his readers by blinding them with so many "exotic" words and assuming that they'll be so impressed they won't actually pause to work out what they actually mean.

Point of order: You mean Simply Red.

But is that all it is? Dark also makes a joke about covering Willie Nelson and Dylan, as if the only possible reason to do that would be to satisfy a demographic.

You're getting your Simply Reds mixed up with your Steely Dans (who "reeled in" the years, as opposed to holding them back), but just call me Johnny Pedantic.

You're spot-on, otherwise.

This is broadly the same argument actually that is used against Britney - if you're buying a Britney record it must be because you are a teenage girl or some oversexed weirdo and if you do like the music it must be because you've never heard anything more authentic. i.e. the problem isn't what Jane Dark projects onto Norah (nothing really), its what he projects onto her listeners.

(I have no problem with the focus on marketing - major label artists in particular are heavily marketed and demographic considerations come into that, and why *not* critique the marketing as much as any other part of the package?)

But if what you say is true, then I am confused: does or does not Dark like Norah Jones? Has he actually heard her?

I think as long as they take the CD money they won't worry so much about "that". Dark's position though would (I guess) be that even listening to a burned copy of NJ is a culture-wars outrage.

I really wish this wasn't a hit & run piece, because I'm curious to see these ideas fleshed out, esp. since they're ideas I've had bouncing in my head ever since Vanessa Carlton & Michelle Branch & Avril broke. BUT! Dismissing this batch of music simply because of its claims of authenticity and integrity is just the same as dismissing the previous administration because of its LACK of authenticity, and Jane doesn't seem to get that. He's just perpetuating the same ol' rockist schtick.

I just said what Tom said, didn't I? Oh, well.