Come Away with Me
Come Away with Me is the debut studio album by American singer, songwriter, and pianist Norah Jones, released on February 26, 2002, by Blue Note Records.[1] Blending acoustic jazz, pop, country, and soul influences, the album features intimate, mellow arrangements centered on Jones's warm vocals and piano playing, with standout tracks including the ballad "Don't Know Why" and the title song "Come Away with Me."[2] It marked Jones's breakthrough as a recording artist at age 22, drawing from her background in jazz while appealing to a broad audience through its accessible, emotive style.[3] The album was primarily produced by veteran Arif Mardin, with additional production by Craig Street on early sessions, and recorded across locations such as Allaire Studios in Shokan, New York, and Sorcerer Sound in New York City starting in May 2001.[3] Its 14-track lineup mixes original compositions by Jones and collaborators like Jesse Harris and Lee Alexander with covers such as Hank Williams's "Cold Cold Heart" and Mark Dinning's "Turn Me On," supported by an ensemble including guitarist Kevin Breit, drummer Brian Blade, and bassist Lee Alexander.[4] Come Away with Me achieved extraordinary commercial success, selling over 27 million copies worldwide and topping charts in multiple countries, including the US Billboard 200.[5] In the United States, it was certified diamond by the RIAA in 2005 for shipments exceeding 10 million units, later reaching 12-times platinum.[6] Critically acclaimed for its sophisticated yet approachable sound, the album won eight Grammy Awards at the 45th Annual Grammy Awards in 2003, including Album of the Year for Come Away with Me, Record of the Year and Song of the Year for "Don't Know Why," Best New Artist, and Best Pop Vocal Album.[7] This sweep propelled Jones to international stardom and solidified the album's status as a modern classic in contemporary jazz and pop fusion.[8]Background and composition
Development
Norah Jones, born in New York City but raised in Texas, began her musical journey playing piano from age seven and developed an interest in jazz during high school.[9] She attended the University of North Texas, majoring in jazz piano studies, where she won Down Beat magazine's Student Music Awards for Best Jazz Vocalist and Best Original Composition.[9] In 1999, Jones left the university without completing her degree and moved to New York City, where she worked as a waitress while performing jazz standards in Greenwich Village clubs.[10] There, she formed a trio with guitarist Jesse Harris, bassist Lee Alexander, and drummer Dan Rieser, recording early demos that showcased her jazz roots.[9] In spring 2000, on her 21st birthday, Jones was discovered by Shell White of EMI Publishing during a jazz brunch performance at The Garage in New York City, leading to a meeting with Blue Note Records president Bruce Lundvall.[11] Impressed by her demos, which featured a mix of original songs and jazz standards blending her jazz roots with emerging pop sensibilities, Lundvall signed her to a demo deal that quickly evolved into a full recording contract later that year.[11] The initial conception for Come Away with Me leaned heavily toward a pure jazz album, reflecting Jones' background as a pianist and vocalist in New York's jazz scene.[12] However, after an early recording session with producer Craig Street at Allaire Studios yielded 21 tracks deemed too guitar-dominated and narrowly jazz-focused, Blue Note executives rejected it, encouraging a shift toward a more accessible blend of jazz, pop, and country to broaden its appeal.[12] Album development accelerated in spring 2001, with Jones re-entering the studio alongside veteran producer Arif Mardin, whose experience with artists like Aretha Franklin helped refine the sound.[13] Mardin's involvement marked a pivotal collaboration, emphasizing organic arrangements that captured Jones' intimate vocal style.[12] Songwriter Jesse Harris contributed significantly from the outset, providing originals like "Don't Know Why" that were developed from the group's prior demos, influencing the final track selection and helping bridge Jones' jazz foundations with wider songwriting influences such as Billie Holiday.[12] These demos, recorded as early as 1999-2000, played a crucial role in shaping the album's cohesive identity.[11]Songwriting and influences
The songwriting for Come Away with Me primarily involved Norah Jones collaborating closely with songwriter Jesse Harris, who penned key tracks like "Don't Know Why" and contributed to others such as "The Long Day Is Over" and "Nightingale." Jones herself wrote the title track "Come Away with Me" spontaneously in about 10 to 15 minutes on an acoustic guitar during a personal moment of inspiration, using simple chord progressions to capture an intimate invitation to escape. Many of the album's 10 original songs were co-written or refined in this partnership, with Jones drawing from her experiences in New York's singer-songwriter scene at venues like The Living Room, where she honed her craft alongside Harris and bassist Lee Alexander. The remaining four tracks are adaptations of standards, including Hoagy Carmichael's "The Nearness of You," reimagined with Jones' subtle personal phrasing to blend seamlessly with the originals.[14][15][11] Lyrically, the album emphasizes themes of love, longing, and introspection, presented with a balance of vulnerability and quiet subtlety that reflects Jones' early-20s perspective. In "Come Away with Me," the words evoke a hopeful romantic escape from everyday life, while "Don't Know Why" explores the ache of unspoken regret in a missed connection, its sparse verses highlighting emotional restraint. Tracks like "Shoot the Moon" and "I've Got to See You Again" delve into the pain of lost love and the pull of unresolved desire, using everyday imagery to convey introspection without overt drama. This thematic focus creates a cohesive narrative of tender yearning, often infused with a sense of melancholy tempered by optimism, as Jones has described the record as having a "looking-forward, hopeful, romantic quality."[14][15][16] Musically, Jones drew from a rich tapestry of influences, including jazz standards associated with artists like Billie Holiday and Bill Evans, whose emotive piano and vocal phrasing shaped her interpretive style. Country-folk elements appear through her cover of Hank Williams' "Cold, Cold Heart," infusing the album with Nashville twang and Texan grit reflective of her roots. Additionally, 1960s and 1970s pop and soul from figures like Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, and Willie Nelson informed the warm, accessible melodies, allowing Jones to merge sophistication with heartfelt simplicity across the originals and standards. These influences underscore her personal touch, blending genres to prioritize emotional authenticity over strict categorization.[15][16][11]Recording and production
Studio sessions
The recording sessions for Come Away with Me primarily took place in 2001, beginning with initial work at Allaire Studios in Shokan, New York, under producer Craig Street, where Norah Jones and her band, including guitarist Bill Frisell and drummer Brian Blade, captured early full-band versions of several tracks in a jazz-oriented setup. These sessions focused on expanding piano-vocal demos into more elaborate arrangements but were ultimately rejected by Blue Note Records for deviating too far from the intimate feel of the originals, with mixes criticized for overpowering guitars and unbalanced vocals.[17][12] In August 2001, veteran producer Arif Mardin assumed control, shifting the primary work to Sorcerer Sound Studio in New York City, where the approach emphasized a relaxed, live-band atmosphere to foster organic performances with minimal takes, blending jazz improvisation and pop sensibilities. The band recorded anew for most tracks, incorporating elements from the demos like "Don't Know Why" while adding overdubs, including string arrangements on select songs such as "Nightingale" and "The Nearness of You" to enhance emotional depth without overproduction.[18][19] The sessions, which ran through late 2001 amid the aftermath of the September 11 attacks, faced logistical challenges in New York but were completed by October, allowing for a February 2002 release that captured the album's warm, unhurried essence. Three tracks from the Allaire sessions—"Seven Years," "Feelin' The Same Way," and "The Long Day Is Over"—were retained and polished in the final mix.[17][12]Production techniques
Arif Mardin, a veteran producer with decades at Atlantic Records, approached the production of Come Away with Me by leveraging his experience in blending genres such as jazz, R&B, and pop to create a seamless, intimate sound that highlighted Norah Jones's vocal and piano talents. Drawing from his work with artists like Aretha Franklin, Mardin emphasized organic arrangements to preserve the album's emotional rawness, opting for a sparse style that incorporated subtle jazz-infused elements without overwhelming the core performances.[20][21] The recording process prioritized analog warmth, with sessions captured on two-inch tape using a Studer A827 machine equipped with Dolby SR noise reduction, at Jones's insistence to maintain a natural, vintage feel. Vintage microphones, including a Telefunken on key tracks, were employed to capture the nuances of Jones's voice and the band's interplay, while digital tools like Pro Tools were used minimally for editing—treated more like a modern tape machine rather than for extensive manipulation or auto-tuning. This analog foundation contributed to the album's polished yet unprocessed intimacy, avoiding the overproduction common in contemporary pop.[20] Mardin's techniques focused on layered instrumentation achieved through live tracking with a small ensemble of four to five musicians, allowing for organic grooves and minimal overdubs to retain authenticity. Acoustic guitar was given prominence in several tracks to underscore the folky undertones, complemented by subtle additions like organ, accordion, or a single violin for textural depth, all arranged with jazz sensibilities to enhance the melodic flow. Vocals received light reverb treatment to add warmth without distancing Jones's delivery, and she contributed self-harmonies on select songs, a technique Mardin guided to integrate seamlessly into the mix.[20][21][22] A key creative decision was to resist layering excessive elements, such as full strings or brass sections, in favor of restraint to let the performances breathe and convey genuine emotion—Mardin described it as an "exercise in restraint" suited to Jones's purist style. The final mixes, handled primarily by Mardin and engineer Jay Newland, were completed at Sear Sound in New York City, preserving stereo stems from the analog sessions for a balanced, soulful output that echoed Atlantic's classic production ethos.[20][23]Musical style
Genre and sound
Come Away with Me is primarily classified as jazz-pop, incorporating elements of folk, country, and soul to create a hybrid sound that defies strict categorization.[24][25] This blend has led to labels such as acoustic pop, emphasizing its mellow, unhurried aesthetic with soul and country overtones.[26] The album's genre fusion marked a departure from traditional jazz releases on Blue Note Records, introducing pop accessibility while preserving jazz-inflected nuances.[27] The sound profile is defined by intimate, understated production that prioritizes emotional subtlety over bombast. Piano-driven melodies form the core, complemented by soft, breathy vocals and sparse arrangements that allow space for each element to breathe.[28][29] This approach evokes a sense of quiet vulnerability, with minimalistic instrumentation enhancing the album's organic, lounge-like intimacy.[26] Building on Norah Jones's jazz roots, the album evolves toward pop structures, featuring verse-chorus formats that broaden its appeal without fully abandoning improvisational phrasing in vocal delivery and piano lines.[27] This integration retains a jazz sensibility through subtle harmonic explorations and rhythmic flexibility, distinguishing it from pure pop contemporaries.[24] Critics have praised the album's warm, nostalgic tone, which channels the smoky allure of 1950s lounge music while adapting it for modern sensibilities through contemporary production restraint.[30] The result is a timeless quality that feels both retro and fresh, evoking intimate after-hours settings updated for a new generation.[28]Instrumentation
The core instrumentation of Come Away with Me features Norah Jones on piano and lead vocals, providing the melodic foundation with her warm, jazz-inflected playing across all tracks.[19][17] Acoustic guitars, primarily played by Jesse Harris and Adam Levy, contribute fingerpicked textures that evoke a singer-songwriter intimacy, while Lee Alexander's upright bass delivers a syncopated, resonant warmth that grounds the rhythm section.[19][31] Drums, handled by Dan Rieser, Brian Blade, and Kenny Wollesen on various tracks, maintain a subtle, brushed propulsion without overpowering the ensemble.[19] Additional elements enhance select tracks, adding nuanced layers to the album's organic texture. On "Sunrise," subtle horns—including trumpet by Dave McNair and tenor saxophone by Peter Brainin—along with light percussion, create a buoyant dawn-like mood, while strings arranged by Arif Mardin appear on "One Flight Down" for emotional swell.[19] The track "Lonestar" incorporates slide and acoustic guitar by Tony Scherr, emphasizing a sparse, evocative country-jazz vibe.[19] These predominantly acoustic choices, with limited electronic elements such as electric piano and organ on select tracks, foster an intimate, live-recorded feel throughout.[31][32] The piano serves as the melodic anchor, guiding Jones's hushed vocals and allowing space for improvisational interplay, as heard in the straightforward rhythm section's support on tracks like "Feelin' the Same Way."[33] Alexander's bass lines provide a cozy, enveloping depth that complements the album's lounge-like serenity, contributing to its crossover appeal.[31] Session musicians, including jazz veterans such as guitarist Tony Scherr and drummer Brian Blade, bring experienced live interplay, recorded at studios like Allaire to capture natural band dynamics.[17][19]Release and promotion
Packaging and artwork
The album's cover art features a black-and-white photograph of Norah Jones taken by photographer Frank Ockenfels, capturing her in a close-up pose that evokes the intimate, vintage aesthetics of classic jazz album covers.[34][35] This imagery aligns with Blue Note Records' visual heritage while signaling a modern, accessible appeal.[17] The standard packaging for the initial release was a jewel case CD format, including liner notes that credit the songwriters for each track, such as Jesse Harris for "Don't Know Why" and Lee Alexander for "Nightingale," alongside production details.[11] Limited edition variants were issued in digipak format, offering a more premium, eco-friendly alternative with similar booklet contents.[36] "Come Away with Me" was released on February 26, 2002, by Blue Note Records in the United States and Parlophone internationally, with an initial pressing that sold approximately 10,000 copies in its first week, far underestimating the subsequent demand that propelled reissues and broader distribution.[37][38] Blue Note's strategy positioned the album as a debut for adult contemporary audiences, blending jazz elements with pop sensibilities to expand beyond traditional jazz markets, a move that capitalized on the label's revived prestige under Capitol Records.[2][17]Singles and marketing
The lead single from Come Away with Me, "Don't Know Why", was released to radio in September 2002 and debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at number 78 that month, eventually peaking at number 30. The track, a cover of a song originally written by Jesse Harris, gained significant traction on adult-oriented formats, reaching number 4 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart and number 5 on the Adult Alternative Songs chart. Its success was driven by radio airplay rather than a major video push, helping to build momentum for the album months after its initial February release.[39] Subsequent singles included "Feelin' the Same Way" in August 2002, "Come Away with Me" in September 2002, and "Turn Me On" in early 2003, all emphasizing radio promotion on jazz, adult contemporary, and alternative stations to complement the album's intimate sound. These releases avoided aggressive pop marketing, focusing instead on targeted airplay that aligned with Norah Jones' understated style and broadened her appeal beyond traditional jazz audiences.[40] Blue Note Records employed a strategic marketing campaign that leveraged non-traditional outlets, shipping advance copies to coffee shops, spas, and independent radio stations to foster organic word-of-mouth growth among adult listeners seeking alternatives to youth-dominated pop. The label prioritized exposure on NPR stations and jazz programming, which amplified the album's crossover potential, while VH1 provided key video and performance slots to introduce Jones to a wider cable audience. Jones supported these efforts with high-profile television appearances, including her debut on Austin City Limits in November 2002 and performances on the Late Show with David Letterman in May 2002, where she showcased tracks like "Don't Know Why" to build personal connection with viewers.[2][41] The promotion eschewed heavy rotation on MTV, relying instead on grassroots buzz and critical acclaim to drive sales, a tactic that proved effective as the album's popularity spread through personal recommendations and small-town radio. Internationally, Blue Note ramped up efforts in Europe starting in mid-2002, with targeted radio campaigns and live performances that propelled the album to number 1 in markets like the UK and contributed to its global breakthrough.[42]Commercial performance
Chart performance
"Come Away with Me" debuted at number 139 on the US Billboard 200 chart dated March 16, 2002. The album experienced gradual ascent, entering the top 10 by August 2002 and reaching number 2 before ascending to number 1 on the chart dated January 25, 2003, following its Grammy nominations; it held the summit for three weeks. It amassed 59 weeks in the top 10 overall and remained on the Billboard 200 for 164 weeks. On year-end tallies, it ranked number 30 in 2002 and number 2 in 2003. For the 2000s decade, the album placed fourth on the Billboard 200, while it ranks 26th on Billboard's Greatest of All Time Albums chart. This trajectory highlighted the album's slow-burn success, taking nearly 11 months from release to achieve its peak position. Internationally, "Come Away with Me" achieved number-one status in several markets, including Australia, where it spent nine cumulative weeks at the top across multiple runs in 2003, Canada, and the UK, where it logged four weeks at number 1 and 152 total weeks on the Official Albums Chart. It also reached the top five in numerous European countries, such as number 1 in Norway and the Netherlands, number 2 in Germany and Sweden, and number 3 in France and Italy.| Country | Peak Position | Weeks at #1 | Total Weeks on Chart | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA) | 1 | 9 | 102 | [43] |
| Canada (Billboard) | 1 | Multiple | N/A | [44] |
| UK (Official Charts) | 1 | 4 | 152 | [42] |
| Norway (VG-lista) | 1 | 8 | 36 | [5] |
| Netherlands (MegaCharts) | 1 | 13 | 105 | [5] |
| Germany (Media Control) | 2 | 0 | 85 | [5] |
| France (SNEP) | 3 | 0 | 106 | [45] |
| Sweden (GLF) | 2 | 0 | 47 | [5] |
| Italy (FIMI) | 3 | 0 | N/A | [5] |
Sales figures
Come Away with Me has sold over 28 million equivalent units worldwide as of September 2025, establishing it as one of the best-selling albums of the 21st century.[46][5] In the United States, the album achieved modest initial success, selling approximately 10,000 copies in its first week of release in February 2002, before surging to commercial dominance.[47] It was certified 12× Platinum by the RIAA on November 22, 2021, representing shipments of 12 million units.[5][48] Internationally, the album performed strongly in key markets, earning 9× Platinum certification from the BPI in the United Kingdom for sales exceeding 2.7 million copies as of November 2025.[49] In Australia, it received 11× Platinum status from ARIA, equivalent to 770,000 units shipped by 2013.[5] In the streaming era, Come Away with Me has experienced renewed popularity, with the album accumulating approximately 2.1 billion streams on Spotify as of November 2025 across original, remastered, and deluxe editions, further boosting equivalent album sales.[50] This digital consumption has contributed to ongoing revenue, including vinyl reissues and anniversary editions that have sustained the album's economic impact two decades after its release.[51]Critical reception
Initial reviews
Upon its release in February 2002, Come Away with Me received widespread critical acclaim for its intimate blend of jazz, pop, and country elements, with reviewers highlighting Norah Jones' distinctive voice and the album's understated elegance. The album earned a Metacritic score of 82 out of 100, based on nine reviews, indicating "universal acclaim."[52] AllMusic awarded the album four out of five stars, lauding its "timeless" quality as a modern take on sophisticated vocal pop, with Jones' husky, warm delivery drawing comparisons to Billie Holiday and Dusty Springfield while incorporating soulful and country inflections.[40] Entertainment Weekly gave it an A- grade, praising the "seductive simplicity" of its arrangements and Jones' precise phrasing on tracks like covers of "Cold, Cold Heart" and "The Nearness of You."[53] Rolling Stone rated it four out of five stars, describing it as a "smoky triumph" that showcased Jones' ability to swing effortlessly across genres without overreaching. However, some jazz purists offered mixed assessments, with The Guardian awarding three out of five stars and describing it as a curiosity but an intriguing one, suggesting the accessibility came at the expense of deeper improvisational depth. These initial responses positioned the album as a promising breakout for Jones, emphasizing its potential to appeal beyond traditional jazz audiences prior to its commercial explosion.Retrospective assessments
In the 2010s and 2020s, critics have revisited Come Away with Me as a pivotal work that bridged jazz standards with pop accessibility, offering a soothing alternative during the rise of digital streaming and fragmented music consumption. Pitchfork's 2024 retrospective review lauded the album's "tender and low-lit" blend of blues balladry and country-soul, crediting its warm radiance for selling over 27 million copies and modeling genre fusion for subsequent artists.[2] The publication highlighted its sophisticated yet effortless appeal, which resonated amid the shift to on-demand listening, where its mellow tracks became staples in casual settings like coffee shops.[2] The album's 20th anniversary in 2022 prompted extensive coverage emphasizing its role in reviving adult alternative sounds. NPR described it as a "jazz-steeped classic" that blurred genre lines, with Jones reflecting on its evolution through rejected early sessions that ultimately refined its intimate style, sustaining its popularity two decades later.[12] Similarly, Billboard's interview with Jones framed the reissue as a full-circle moment, underscoring how the record's quiet sophistication influenced a wave of soul-inflected pop and helped Blue Note Records adapt to broader audiences in the streaming era.[54] Retrospectives have also noted the album as a counterpoint to the aggressive rock and hip-hop dominating the early 2000s, providing a calm, introspective escape post-9/11 that prefigured relaxed indie and soul revivals. Stereogum praised its mellow vocals and genre-blending intimacy for attracting new jazz listeners and inspiring singers like Amy Winehouse and Joss Stone, though some purists critiqued its pop leanings as diluting traditional jazz innovation.[27] In 2020s assessments, while its enduring sales and cultural familiarity are celebrated, detractors have pointed to a perceived lack of bold experimentation, labeling it "sleepy" coffee-house fare despite its commercial and artistic benchmark status.[2]Awards and honors
Grammy Awards
At the 45th Annual Grammy Awards held on February 23, 2003, in New York City, Norah Jones and her debut album Come Away with Me received eight nominations, including Album of the Year, Record of the Year for "Don't Know Why," Song of the Year for "Don't Know Why," Best Pop Vocal Album, Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for "Don't Know Why," Best New Artist, Producer of the Year, Non-Classical for Arif Mardin, and Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical.[55][56] Jones swept the ceremony with five wins, tying the record for the most Grammy Awards won by a female artist in a single night at the time: Album of the Year for Come Away with Me, Record of the Year for "Don't Know Why," Best Pop Vocal Album for Come Away with Me, Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for "Don't Know Why," and Best New Artist. In total, the album and its contributors won eight Grammy Awards.[57] The Grammy success significantly boosted the album's commercial performance, with Come Away with Me selling 621,000 copies in the United States during the week following the ceremony—a 331% increase from the previous week and the largest post-Grammy sales week for any album up to that point.[58]Other recognitions
In 2003, Come Away with Me earned Norah Jones the BRIT Award for International Breakthrough Act, recognizing her rapid rise to international prominence with the album.[59] She was also nominated for the BRIT Award for International Female Solo Artist that year.[60] Additionally, the music video for "Don't Know Why" was nominated for Best New Artist in a Video at the 2002 MTV Video Music Awards.[61] At the 2003 American Music Awards, Come Away with Me was nominated for Favorite Pop/Rock Album, highlighting its crossover appeal beyond jazz audiences.[62]Legacy and reissues
Cultural impact
The release of Come Away with Me marked a significant shift in the music industry during the early 2000s, reviving interest in jazz-pop hybrids amid a broader cultural pushback against youth-dominated teen pop and electronic sounds.[2] The album's blend of jazz harmony with pop songwriting sensibilities helped pioneer a wave of accessible, adult-oriented music that influenced subsequent female artists.[63] This crossover appeal demonstrated how jazz elements could integrate into mainstream pop without alienating broader audiences, encouraging labels to explore similar genre fusions.[64] The album left a notable cultural footprint through its integration into film soundtracks and advertising, enhancing its association with relaxed, upscale lifestyles. Tracks from Come Away with Me, including the title song, appeared in films such as Maid in Manhattan (2002), where it underscored romantic scenes, and tracks such as "The Nearness of You" were featured in Two Weeks Notice (2002), contributing to its atmospheric backdrop.[65][66] Its mellow aesthetic also soundtracked lifestyle advertisements, most prominently for Starbucks, where songs like "Don't Know Why" became synonymous with the chain's cozy, coffeehouse ambiance, boosting the album's visibility in everyday consumer culture.[2] Jones's breakthrough inspired a revival of soft rock and acoustic-leaning sounds, emphasizing emotional depth over high-energy production in the post-grunge era.[12] Her success on Blue Note Records, a storied jazz label, diversified its roster by attracting pop and folk-infused talent, allowing the imprint to expand beyond traditional jazz into more commercial territories while maintaining artistic credibility.[64] By 2025, Come Away with Me continues to resonate in discussions of female-led acoustic music, symbolizing a benchmark for introspective, genre-blending songwriting by women in popular music. The title track alone has inspired more than 50 covers, including vocal renditions by artists like Emma Bunton and Dami Im, alongside numerous instrumental versions, highlighting its enduring appeal across global interpretations.[67]20th anniversary edition
To mark the 20th anniversary of the album's original release, Blue Note Records issued a super deluxe edition of Come Away with Me on April 29, 2022.[68] The expanded collection comprises 44 tracks in total, featuring the newly remastered original 14-song album alongside 22 previously unreleased recordings that provide insight into the album's creative process.[69] Produced by Eli Wolf, the reissue highlights early demos submitted to Blue Note, outtakes from initial sessions, and alternate versions from the Allaire Studios recordings, offering a fuller narrative of Norah Jones's emergence as an artist.[70] The bonus material includes intimate demos such as "Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most," "Walkin’ My Baby Back Home," and "World of Trouble," captured during Jones's pre-album submissions to the label.[68] First-session outtakes feature tracks like "The Only Time," "I Didn’t Know About You," and a tabla-infused rendition of "Something Is Calling You," while the Allaire sessions yield alternates including "I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight," an original version of the title track "Come Away With Me," and a different mix of "Picture In A Frame."[68] These selections, balanced by engineer Tony Maserati for the Allaire material, emphasize the jazz-inflected evolution of the songs without altering the core aesthetic of the final release.[69] The edition was made available in multiple formats, including a standalone remastered vinyl LP and CD of the original album, as well as a comprehensive super deluxe package in 4-LP vinyl and 3-CD sets.[68] Digital versions were also released, alongside a limited-edition box set featuring premium packaging, an extensive booklet with rare session photographs, and new liner notes penned by Norah Jones reflecting on the album's creation.[69] Commemorative events included a livestreamed full-album performance by Jones on April 28, 2022, broadcast to celebrate the impending release and showcase the enduring appeal of the material.[71] The reissue sparked renewed interest, propelling the album back onto various international charts, including a peak at number 66 in the Netherlands.[72]Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Don't Know Why" | Jesse Harris | 3:05 |
| 2 | "Seven Years" | Norah Jones | 2:24 |
| 3 | "Cold Cold Heart" | Hank Williams | 3:38 |
| 4 | "Feelin' the Same Way" | Norah Jones | 2:55 |
| 5 | "Come Away with Me" | Norah Jones | 3:18 |
| 6 | "Shoot the Moon" | Norah Jones | 3:57 |
| 7 | "Turn Me On" | John D. Loudermilk | 2:33 |
| 8 | "Lonestar" | Norah Jones | 3:05 |
| 9 | "I've Got to See You Again" | Jesse Harris | 4:13 |
| 10 | "Painter Song" | Norah Jones, Lee Alexander | 2:41 |
| 11 | "One Flight Down" | Jesse Harris | 3:03 |
| 12 | "Nightingale" | Norah Jones | 4:11 |
| 13 | "The Long Day Is Over" | Norah Jones, Jesse Harris | 2:44 |
| 14 | "The Nearness of You" | Hoagy Carmichael, Ned Washington | 3:09 |
Personnel
Musicians
- Norah Jones – vocals, piano (all tracks except 2, 4, 8), Wurlitzer electric piano (4)[19]
- Lee Alexander – bass (all tracks)[19]
- Adam Levy – electric guitar (1, 3, 5–7, 9, 11, 12), acoustic guitar (8, 10)[19]
- Jesse Harris – acoustic guitar (1, 6, 9, 11–13)[19]
- Brian Blade – drums (3, 5, 7, 10)[19]
- Dan Rieser – drums (1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 9, 11, 12)[19]
- Kevin Breit – acoustic guitar (2, 4), electric guitar (2, 4)[19]
- Rob Burger – pump organ (5, 12), accordion (10)[19]
- Tony Scherr – slide guitar, acoustic guitar (8)[19]
- Adam Rogers – guitar (7)[19]
- Jenny Scheinman – fiddle (4)[19]
- Sam Yahel – Hammond B-3 organ (6, 7, 11)[19]
- Bill Frisell – electric guitar (13)[19]
- Kenny Wollesen – drums (13)[19]
- Vikram Vyas – tabla (3)[19]