An interesting interview in the Guardian with Norah Jones, who looks back on every one of her albums:

'Seven Years', her debut from 2002 - “I was trying to have fun with the success, but at the same time, I was a little too worried about getting swallowed up by it all”

'Sunrise' (2004) precipitated the signing of Amy Winehouse, Katie Melua, Joss Stone - "I had to separate myself from it all. The truth is some great artists came out of that and that’s awesome”

'Rosie’s Lullaby' (2007) was written on tour, with a lot of alcohol around - “I was just trying to keep together, to be honest”

'Chasing Pirates' (2009) was the first one written primarily by herself - "It lifted me up as a songwriter and made me feel validated”

'All a Dream' (2012) -  "It was a transformative experience. Before, I was terrified of having to finish songs before I went into the studio... I went in having faith in the process and the lightning bolt of inspiration that comes with making music"

'It’s a Wonderful Time for Love' (2016) - it's about "let’s lift each other up and send love to each other in a hard time"

'It Was You' (2019) - it was released one song at a time, which in turn "really freed me up and made me more inspired than ever”

'Flame Twin' (2020) - “If there’s a darkness to this album, it’s not meant to be an impending sense of doom. It feels more like a human longing for connection”

Norah Jones said she had heard Guns N' Roses' 'Patience', it made her feel good, so she covered it; John Legend in his new song 'Actions' says, more or less, he should practice what he preaches, on a trivia note, it samples 'The Edge' by David McCallum, which is the same track Dr. Dre sampled on his 2000 hit 'The Next Episode'; Eyes Without A Face is made of musicians that used to play metal and pop, together they make - goth synth, check them out on 'Cold Moon'; M.I.A. has released ‘OHMNI 202091’, her first new song in three years, on the 15th anniversary of her debut album ‘Arular’; 'Resiliencia' by El Búho and DJ Raff is South American traditional music plus electronica, a hommage to Chilean activism; 'March 13' by Ellis is a big and gentle piano song; soul band Black Pumas have turned Detroit proto-punk legends Death’s 'Politicians In My Eyes' into a smooth soul song; Danish singer-songwriter Oh Land sings about how she misses normal on her new song 'I Miss One Week Ago', Run The Jewels have released new track ‘The Yankee and The Brave’, an ear-attack.

Laurel Canyon was a centre of counterculture activity in the mid-late 1960s and early 1970s - it was home to Frank Zappa, Jim Morrison, The Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, The Eagles, Love, Neil Young, The Monkees - and it is the subject of new documentary 'Echo in the Canyon'. It features in-depth interviews with many of […]