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Norah Jones Loves Country

New album with Little Willies is tribute to the best

by: Melinda Newman | from: Concord Music | January 3, 2012

Listening to country music is the aural equivalent to eating comfort food for multiple Grammy Award winner Norah Jones. "When I listen to Willie Nelson or Hank Williams," she says, "it's like when you eat a big bowl of macaroni and cheese."

Though best known for her jazzy 2002 debut, Come Away With Me, which has sold more than 10 million copies in the U.S. and spawned such hits as "Don't Know Why," Jones gets her twang fix as part of The Little Willies, a five piece band that covers traditional country songs. Aside from the sophomoric giggles the name intentionally induces, it also pays homage to her hero, Willie Nelson.

The quintet's second album, For the Good Times, coming out Jan. 10, features an assortment of remakes including Dolly Parton's "Jolene," Loretta Lynn's "Fist City" and Kris Kristofferson's title track. But it's the group's take on Nelson's "Permanently Lonely" that evokes the most intimate memories for Jones.

"I listened to Willie Nelson's ‘Red Headed Stranger' growing up," says the pianist/vocalist, who was born in New York, but raised in Texas by her mom, Sue Jones. "It was my grandpa's favorite album and I listened to it, always thinking about my grandpa. He died when I was, like, 4."

Now that she and Nelson are friends and have performed together, Jones says the outlaw country singer is not one "to dole out advice," but she's soaked up wisdom just from being in his orbit. "He always signs autographs for fans even if it's raining," she says. "It's just nice to see somebody of that stature and notoriety be so kind and warm and sweet to people."

The Little Willies formed in 2003 as an alliance of five musician friends, all of whom revered classic country. For Jones, who trades off lead vocals with guitarist Richard Julian, the collective provides a chance to be one among equals instead of the primary focus. "That's why I enjoy playing with this band in the first place," the 32-year-old says. "We started playing around the time my first album was coming out and it was a nice release to just play music and not have to think about other stuff that I have to think about sometimes with my own albums."

Norah Jones and the Little Willies Band sit together in a dressing room before the release of their new album, For the Good Times. — Christian Lantry

While Jones' stratospheric rise (with three number one albums) could have torn the group apart, the opposite happened, recalls The Little Willies' guitarist Jim Campilongo. He was sharing a Brooklyn, N.Y., apartment with Jones and bassist Lee Alexander (the latter two were were romantically involved until 2007) when she swept the Grammy Awards in 2003. "The next day the New York Post had our apartment on the front page: 'Grammy Queen's humble Brooklyn Digs,'" Campilongo recalls with a chuckle. "There were news vans all lined up in front, everyone wanted to come up to the apartment and take pictures. It was like Beatlemania. It was a cherished experienced. It ended up bringing us all closer together."

As she promotes The Little Willies project, Jones is also working on her next solo album, which she hopes to release in May. That doesn't leave a lot of down time. But when she does get a break, Jones says her perfect day is "any day that involves hanging out with friends or eating and not having to check my email that much or think about anything." Plus, she's enjoying being a first-time aunt to her nephew, Zubin, the son of her half-sister, Anoushka Shankar.

Jones didn't grow up with the father she shares with Anoushka, 91-year old sitar master and composer Ravi Shankar, although the two are now close. When asked if father and daughter have any plans to record together, she calls it a "tough question." "I love my dad. I love his music. I respect him," the intensely private Jones replies. "Are there any plans? No, there's no plans, but nobody's ruling anything out."

Maybe Shankar should brush on his Willie Nelson material, just in case.