Though there are some that are morecritical of the artist, and have referred to her as Snorah Jones, she only seemsto have got younger over the past 10 years in terms of style. A lot of it hasto do with the influence of producer Danger Mouse, with whom she has workedprior to this record, on his 2011 operatic album Rome.
Jones is hugely understated in terms ofstyle. This is evident by her lyrical plotting of the murder of a love rival,as she does on "Miriam". Or for that matter, the description ofknife-wielding hearts wreaking revenge on the title track. The albums 12 tracksare mellow, and never break a sweat; not even "Happy Pills", forall its propulsion.
At its worst, the album is still pleasant.The production is so complex that the untrained ear might not actually noticethe quirky individual elements that are going on in the background. Especiallywith all the percussive bass lines, plunky drums, oriental melodies and multi-trackedvocal..
The album is a step off the beaten trackfor Jones. It does not have the mellow ring that made its predecessorscommercially popular. However, it sounds different from her earlier works inthe best possible way. It is a little more complex, richer, and darker thanbefore. Hardcore fans of Norah Jones (fair warning) will probably not like thisone. For the most part though, Little Broken Hearts finds aneffective way to grab the listener by the collar, in the gentlest fashion.
