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May 2, 2012By 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.
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Apr 16, 2012She 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.
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Jul 12, 2012Jones 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.
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Apr 19, 2012She keeps the mood fairly moderate amongst Burton's fluid soundtrack, setting the pace with a wry bravado that makes this album a dynamic listen.
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Apr 30, 2012This is a striking changeup.
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Apr 30, 2012Not 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.
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Apr 25, 2012This 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.
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Apr 26, 2012With Brian Burton (a.k.a. Danger Mouse) producing, the heavy-lidded-vixen thing works for her here.
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May 1, 2012This Norah Jones is damaged, dangerous and vulnerable, and Burton's mastery of sound helps deepen the relationship between listener and song.
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May 7, 2012With Jones these days, you may not know exactly what you're getting, but you know it's going to be great.
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MojoApr 20, 2012An intriguing partnership that fails to entirely live up to expectations. [May 2012, p.86]
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May 1, 2012There 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.
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May 3, 2012Little Broken Hearts is held back by a lack of intimacy and the unemotional stiffness we associate with Jones. Still, it's almost a great album.
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May 9, 2012Between the obvious hits and the Halcion fuzz however lays an interesting sound.
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May 1, 2012The entire album plays like a cohesive whole, somehow frayed and fragmented if not left intact.
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Q MagazineJun 20, 2012It's one boringly pedestrian plod after another. [Jun 2012, p.104]
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May 1, 2012Her fifth album is a brand-rejigging songwriting collab with Brian "Danger Mouse" Burton that both picks up her pace and pumps up her palette.
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Apr 30, 2012By 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.
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May 1, 2012Little 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.
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May 15, 2012Jones is good at what she does, but it never feels like something she burns to do.
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May 1, 2012Little Broken Hearts finds an effective way to grab the listener by the lapels: with kid gloves.
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Apr 27, 2012There's always an ingenious, often unexpected, connection linking the music to the mood of a specific song.
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Apr 30, 2012It's exquisite, of course, but dull.
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Apr 30, 2012Mostly, though, Little Broken Hearts finds an effective way to grab the listener by the lapels: with kid gloves.
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Apr 27, 2012In the past decade, it seems Jones has made a sneaky transition from dinner party backdrop to David Lynch soundtrack.
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UncutApr 20, 2012This is a bold and engaging revolution. [May 2012, p.75]
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May 21, 2012Danger Mouse's presence-and underperformance-on Little Broken Hearts turns what might otherwise just be another safe but bullshit-free Norah Jones album into an especially underwhelming affair.
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 56 out of 64
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Mixed: 5 out of 64
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Negative: 3 out of 64
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Feb 18, 2015
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Jul 7, 2013
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Nov 9, 2012