Little Broken Hearts
by Norah Jones
Metascore
69

Generally favorable reviews - based on 27 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 19 out of 27
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 27
  3. Negative: 1 out of 27
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  1. Okayplayer
    May 9, 2012
    81
    Between the obvious hits and the Halcion fuzz however lays an interesting sound.
  2. Exclaim
    May 1, 2012
    80
    This Norah Jones is damaged, dangerous and vulnerable, and Burton's mastery of sound helps deepen the relationship between listener and song.
  3. Spin
    May 1, 2012
    80
    Little Broken Hearts is exciting because it explores the darkest corners of betrayal, bad love, and jealousy with enough vitality to propel Jones out of the bloodless purgatory of brunch music.
  5. musicOMH.com
    May 1, 2012
    80
    There is a lot at play here, both sonically and lyrically, and the album rewards repeated listens. Most importantly, Little Broken Hearts is an album that just works.
  6. Boston Globe
    Apr 30, 2012
    80
    This is a striking changeup.
  7. The Independent (UK)
    Apr 27, 2012
    80
    There's always an ingenious, often unexpected, connection linking the music to the mood of a specific song.
  8. The Telegraph (UK)
    Apr 27, 2012
    80
    In the past decade, it seems Jones has made a sneaky transition from dinner party backdrop to David Lynch soundtrack.
  9. American Songwriter
    Apr 16, 2012
    80
    She hasn't sounded quite so free and engaged as she does on these songs, where her vocal and lyrical mannerisms come through more forcefully and confidently.
  10. Austin Chronicle
    Jul 12, 2012
    78
    Jones takes a gothic turn with "Miriam," a soaring, surreal account of a romantic rival's murder. Like so much of ... Little Broken Hearts, it kills.
  11. Chicago Tribune
    Apr 30, 2012
    75
    Not everything works. The closing "All a Dream" is a six-minute drag back to sleepy-time Norah. But mostly, Jones plays her part in this career left-turn with chilled and sometimes chilling resolve.
  12. Entertainment Weekly
    Apr 26, 2012
    75
    With Brian Burton (a.k.a. Danger Mouse) producing, the heavy-lidded-vixen thing works for her here.
  13. Filter
    May 7, 2012
    74
    With Jones these days, you may not know exactly what you're getting, but you know it's going to be great.
  14. AllMusic
    May 2, 2012
    70
    By placing so much emphasis on the stylish ever-shifting surfaces of its production, Little Broken Hearts never quite sinks in emotionally. Norah Jones may be pouring her heart out but it's been given an elegantly detailed sculpture that camouflages her pain.
  15. PopMatters
    May 1, 2012
    70
    The entire album plays like a cohesive whole, somehow frayed and fragmented if not left intact.
  16. Rolling Stone
    May 1, 2012
    70
    Her fifth album is a brand-rejigging songwriting collab with Brian "Danger Mouse" Burton that both picks up her pace and pumps up her palette.
  17. Slant Magazine
    Apr 30, 2012
    70
    By revealing some carefully chosen, deeply personal details and by building elaborate façades for the sake of drama, Jones has crafted her headiest, most complex album to date.
  18. Consequence
    Apr 25, 2012
    70
    This is a serious indie pop album. Jones and Burton have created something that should fit in the record collection of any Feist-loving indie kid just as easily as that of those soccer moms she won over years ago.
  19. Uncut
    Apr 20, 2012
    70
    This is a bold and engaging revolution. [May 2012, p.75]
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  20. BBC Music
    Apr 19, 2012
    70
    She keeps the mood fairly moderate amongst Burton's fluid soundtrack, setting the pace with a wry bravado that makes this album a dynamic listen.

Awards & Rankings

80
#80 Most Discussed Album of 2012

User Reviews

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User Score
8.2

Universal acclaim- based on 64 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 56 out of 64
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 64
  3. Negative: 3 out of 64
  1. antony15
    Feb 18, 2015
    7
    "Beautiful Soldiers in Their beds, make love inside Their hands" .This seems to be enough to prove that norah grown and matured in his latest"Beautiful Soldiers in Their beds, make love inside Their hands" .This seems to be enough to prove that norah grown and matured in his latest album, now everything she does has double meaning and is angry and perverse.
    All this because of a broken heart, norah decided to take "Happy Pills" and fully recycle your music, giving up shy of pieces of jazz-blues and folk, with overdose of piano, which were the composition of their albums up to "The Fall ". In "Little Broken Hearts" Jones makes a change in his career, diving in Indie-pop melodies, embracing the way Lana del Rey to make music and finally bringing great news to his fans.
    The album starts with no big surprises with "Good Morning", and will gradually conquering, with "Say Goodbye" and "Happy Pills", great indie songs. You can bring tears to the sadness of "She's 22". Be surprised by this sexual content in "Little Broken Hearts" and the anger and jealousy in "Miriam".
    With many good moments, Little Broken Hearts is a big step in Jones' career, and is his best album since "Feels Like Home."
    We hope to continue evolving into something even better, because the latest Jones's work is very good but can be even better.    … Full Review »
  2. FemaleSingers
    Jul 7, 2013
    10
    I am a male who strongly favors music with a beautiful female voice. As such, I have always liked Norah Jones singing. But with the album,I am a male who strongly favors music with a beautiful female voice. As such, I have always liked Norah Jones singing. But with the album, "Little Broken Hearts." I have reached a totally new appreciation for her. It crept up on me. I liked "She's 22" right off because it hit real close to home. You hear a woman, still obviously in love, ask her ex forlornly whether the 22 year old he's now with "does she make you happy." Norah used to put her mouth close to the microphone and let her beautiful voice be heard with fairly standard musical accompaniment. With this album, she allows her voice to be the lead instrument in wonderfully stylized songs with a new mix of electronic music, cello, and steel guitar, all of which establish the mood for each song. "Take It Back" is a wonderful example of this new Norah Jones as her voice melds with a melody but does not dominate by any means. "Miriam" tells the story of a woman wronged and the lyrics haunted me from the first listening. Long after falling in love with this song, I found the video on YouTube. It is nothing short of Music Video Art. I hope Norah Jones continues to follow this new career path.… Full Review »
  3. cameronmorewood
    Nov 9, 2012
    10
    Norah has changed her sound in just the slightest, and it's only noticeable in a few songs, but it's refreshing. She realized maybe she needNorah has changed her sound in just the slightest, and it's only noticeable in a few songs, but it's refreshing. She realized maybe she need to surprise people, and I think she will. Little Broken Hearts is a different kind of masterpiece.… Full Review »
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