Showing posts with label Record of the Year. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Record of the Year. Show all posts

Monday, February 3, 2025

The Grammy Song and Record of the Year Winners Ranked

The Grammys:

Song and Record of the Year Winners

The Grammy Awards have been given annually since 1958. Two of the most prestigious awards are Record of the Year (given to the performers) and Song of the Year (given to the songwriters). Below is a listing of all songs to receive either award. Following that is a ranking by the DMDB of all those songs.

Check out other “songs of the year” lists here.

Spotify Podcast:

Check out the two-part Dave’s Music Database podcast celebrating the Grammy Winners for Record and Song of the Year 1959-1992 (debut: April 5, 2022 at 7pm CST) and 1993-2022 (debut: April 12, 2022 at 7pm CST). which references songs on this list. New episodes based on Dave’s Music Database lists are posted every Tuesday at 7pm CST.

SONG/RECORD WINNERS BY YEAR:

  • 2025 SONG: Kendrick Lamar “Not Like Us” (2024)
  • 2025 RECORD: Kendrick Lamar “Not Like Us” (2024)
  • 2024 SONG: Billie Eilish “What Was I Made For?” (2023)
  • 2024 RECORD: Miley Cyrus “Flowers” (2023)
  • 2023 SONG: Bonnie Raitt “Just Like That” (2022)
  • 2023 RECORD: Lizzo “About Damn Time” (2022)
  • 2022 RECORD/SONG: Bruno Mars and Anderson Paak as Silk Sonic “Leave the Door Open” (2021)
  • 2021 SONG: H.E.R. “I Can’t Breathe” (2020)
  • 2021 RECORD: Billie Eilish “Everything I Wanted” (2020)
  • 2020 RECORD/SONG: Billie Eilish “Bad Guy” (2019)

  • 2019 RECORD/SONG: Childish Gambino “This Is America” (2018)
  • 2018 SONG: Bruno Mars “That’s What I Like” (2016)
  • 2018 RECORD: Bruno Mars “24K Magic” (2016)
  • 2017 RECORD/SONG: Adele “Hello” (2015)
  • 2016 SONG: Ed Sheeran “Thinking Out Loud” (2014)
  • 2016 RECORD: Mark Ronson with Bruno Mars “Uptown Funk!” (2014)
  • 2015 RECORD/SONG: Sam Smith “Stay with Me” (2014)
  • 2014 SONG: Lorde “Royals” (2013)
  • 2014 RECORD: Daft Punk with Pharrell Williams “Get Lucky” (2013)
  • 2013 SONG: Fun with Janelle Monáe “We Are Young” (2012)
  • 2013 RECORD: Gotye with Kimbra “Somebody That I Used to Know” (2011)
  • 2012 RECORD/SONG: Adele “Rolling in the Deep” (2010)
  • 2011 RECORD/SONG: Lady Antebellum “Need You Now” (2009)
  • 2010 SONG: Beyoncé “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)” (2008)
  • 2010 RECORD: Kings of Leon “Use Somebody” (2008)

  • 2009 SONG: Coldplay “Viva La Vida” (2008)
  • 2009 RECORD: Robert Plant with Alison Krauss “Please Read the Letter” (2007)
  • 2008 RECORD/SONG: Amy Winehouse “Rehab” (2006)
  • 2007 RECORD/SONG: Dixie Chicks “Not Ready to Make Nice” (2006)
  • 2006 SONG: U2 “Sometimes You Can’t Make It on Your Own” (2005)
  • 2006 RECORD: Green Day “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” (2004)
  • 2005 SONG: John Mayer “Daughters” (2004)
  • 2005 RECORD: Ray Charles with Norah Jones “Here We Go Again” (2004)
  • 2004 SONG: Luther Vandross “Dance with My Father” (2003)
  • 2004 RECORD: Coldplay “Clocks” (2002)
  • 2003 RECORD/SONG: Norah Jones “Don’t Know Why” (2002)
  • 2002 SONG: Alicia Keys “Fallin’” (2001)
  • 2002 RECORD: U2 “Walk On” (2001)
  • 2001 RECORD/SONG: U2 “Beautiful Day” (2000)
  • 2000 RECORD/SONG: Santana with Rob Thomas “Smooth” (1999)

  • 1999 RECORD/SONG: Celine Dion “My Heart Will Go On” (1997)
  • 1998 RECORD/SONG: Shawn Colvin “Sunny Came Home” (1997)
  • 1997 RECORD/SONG: Eric Clapton “Change the World” (1996)
  • 1996 RECORD/SONG: Seal “Kiss from a Rose” (1994)
  • 1995 SONG: Bruce Springsteen “Streets of Philadelphia” (1994)
  • 1995 RECORD: Sheryl Crow “All I Wanna Do” (1994)
  • 1994 SONG: Peabo Bryson with Regina Belle “A Whole New World” (1992)
  • 1994 RECORD: Whitney Houston “I Will Always Love You” (1992)
  • 1993 RECORD/SONG: Eric Clapton “Tears in Heaven” (1992)
  • 1992 RECORD/SONG: Natalie Cole with Nat “King” Cole “Unforgettable” (1991)
  • 1991 SONG: Bette Midler “From a Distance” (1990)
  • 1991 RECORD: Phil Collins “Another Day in Paradise” (1989)
  • 1990 RECORD/SONG: Bette Midler “Wind Beneath My Wings” (1988)

  • 1989 RECORD/SONG: Bobby McFerrin “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” (1988)
  • 1988 SONG: Linda Ronstadt with James Ingram “Somewhere Out There” (1986)
  • 1988 RECORD: Paul Simon “Graceland” (1986)
  • 1987 SONG: Dionne Warwick & Friends “That's What Friends Are For” (1985)
  • 1987 RECORD: Steve Winwood “Higher Love” (1986)
  • 1986 RECORD/SONG: USA for Africa “We Are the World” (1985)
  • 1985 RECORD/SONG: Tina Turner “What’s Love Got to Do with It?” (1984)
  • 1984 SONG: The Police “Every Breath You Take” (1983)
  • 1984 RECORD: Michael Jackson “Beat It” (1983)
  • 1983 SONG: Willie Nelson “Always on My Mind” (1982)
  • 1983 RECORD: Toto “Rosanna” (1982)
  • 1982 RECORD/SONG: Kim Carnes “Bette Davis Eyes” (1981)
  • 1981 RECORD/SONG: Christopher Cross “Sailing” (1980)
  • 1980 RECORD/SONG: The Doobie Brothers “What a Fool Believes” (1978)

  • 1979 RECORD/SONG: Billy Joel “Just the Way You Are” (1977)
  • 1978 SONG (tie): Debby Boone “You Light Up My Life” (1977)
  • 1978 SONG (tie): Barbra Streisand “Evergreen (Love Theme from A Star Is Born)” (1976)
  • 1978 RECORD: Eagles “Hotel California” (1977)
  • 1977 SONG: Barry Manilow “I Write the Songs” (1975)
  • 1977 RECORD: George Benson “This Masquerade” (1976)
  • 1976 SONG: Judy Collins “Send in the Clowns” (1975)
  • 1976 RECORD: Captain & Tennille “Love Will Keep Us Together” (1975)
  • 1975 SONG: Barbra Streisand “The Way We Were” (1973)
  • 1975 RECORD: Olivia Newton-John “I Honestly Love You” (1974)
  • 1974 RECORD/SONG: Roberta Flack “Killing Me Softly with His Song” (1973)
  • 1973 RECORD/SONG: Roberta Flack “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” (1969)
  • 1972 SONG: Carole King/James Taylor “You’ve Got a Friend” (1971)
  • 1972 RECORD: Carole King “It’s Too Late” (1971)
  • 1971 RECORD/SONG: Simon & Garfunkel “Bridge Over Troubled Water” (1970)
  • 1970 SONG: Joe South “Games People Play” (1968)
  • 1970 RECORD: The Fifth Dimension “Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In” (1969)

  • 1969 SONG: Roger Miller “Little Green Apples” (1968)
  • 1969 RECORD: Simon & Garfunkel “Mrs. Robinson” (1968)
  • 1968 RECORD/SONG: The Fifth Dimension “Up, Up and Away” (1967)
  • 1967 SONG: The Beatles “Michelle” (1965)
  • 1967 RECORD: Frank Sinatra “Strangers in the Night” (1966)
  • 1966 SONG: Tony Bennett “The Shadow of Your Smile (Love Theme from The Sandpiper)” (1965)
  • 1966 RECORD: Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass “A Taste of Honey” (1965)
  • 1965 SONG: Louis Armstrong “Hello, Dolly!” (1964)
  • 1965 RECORD: Stan Getz with Joao Gilberto “The Girl from Ipanema” (1964)
  • 1964 RECORD/SONG: Henry Mancini “The Days of Wine and Roses” (1963)
  • 1963 SONG: Sammy Davis, Jr. “What Kind of Fool am I?” (1962)
  • 1963 RECORD: Tony Bennett “I Left My Heart in San Francisco” (1962)
  • 1962 RECORD/SONG: Henry Mancini with Audrey Hepburn “Moon River” (1961)
  • 1961 SONG: Ferrante & Teicher “Theme from Exodus” (1960)
  • 1961 RECORD: Percy Faith “A Theme from A Summer Place” (1960)
  • 1960 SONG: Johnny Horton “The Battle of New Orleans” (1959)
  • 1960 RECORD: Bobby Darin “Mack the Knife” (1959)
  • 1959 RECORD/SONG: Domenico Modugno “Volare (Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blue)” (1958)

SONG/RECORD WINNERS RANKED:

This is the DMDB’s ranking of all songs which have won Grammys for Song or Record of the Year.

DMDB Top 1%:

1. The Police “Every Breath You Take” (1983)
2. Whitney Houston “I Will Always Love You” (1992)
3. Simon & Garfunkel “Bridge Over Troubled Water” (1970)
4. Eagles “Hotel California” (1977)
5. Bobby Darin “Mack the Knife” (1959)
6. Mark Ronson with Bruno Mars “Uptown Funk!” (2014)
7. Celine Dion “My Heart Will Go On” (1997)
8. Adele “Rolling in the Deep” (2010)
9. Gotye with Kimbra “Somebody That I Used to Know” (2011)
10. Beyoncé “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)” (2008)

11. Michael Jackson “Beat It” (1983)
12. USA for Africa “We Are the World” (1985)
13. Coldplay “Viva La Vida” (2008)
14. Santana with Rob Thomas “Smooth” (1999)
15. Adele “Hello” (2015)
16. Ed Sheeran “Thinking Out Loud” (2014)
17. Roberta Flack “Killing Me Softly with His Song” (1973)
18. Kim Carnes “Bette Davis Eyes” (1981)
19. Lorde “Royals” (2013)
20. Debby Boone “You Light Up My Life” (1977)

21. Tina Turner “What’s Love Got to Do with It?” (1984)
22. Willie Nelson “Always on My Mind” (1982)
23. Simon & Garfunkel “Mrs. Robinson” (1968)
24. Roberta Flack “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” (1969)
25. Daft Punk with Pharrell Williams “Get Lucky” (2013)
26. U2 “Beautiful Day” (2000)
27. Lady Antebellum “Need You Now” (2009)
28. Green Day “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” (2004)
29. Barbra Streisand “The Way We Were” (1973)
30. Johnny Horton “The Battle of New Orleans” (1959)

31. Alicia Keys “Fallin’” (2001)
32. Eric Clapton “Tears in Heaven” (1992)
33. Henry Mancini with Audrey Hepburn “Moon River” (1961)
34. The Fifth Dimension “Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In” (1969)
35. Amy Winehouse “Rehab” (2006)
36. Carole King “It’s Too Late” (1971)
37. Fun with Janelle Monáe “We Are Young” (2012)
38. Seal “Kiss from a Rose” (1994)
39. Billie Eilish “Bad Guy” (2019)
40. Phil Collins “Another Day in Paradise” (1989)

41. Captain & Tennille “Love Will Keep Us Together” (1975)
42. Dionne & Friends “That's What Friends Are For” (1985)
43. Olivia Newton-John “I Honestly Love You” (1974)
44. Domenico Modugno “Volare (Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blue)” (1958)
45. Coldplay “Clocks” (2002)
46. Sam Smith “Stay with Me” (2014)
47. Percy Faith “A Theme from A Summer Place” (1960)
48. Billy Joel “Just the Way You Are” (1977)
49. Sheryl Crow “All I Wanna Do” (1994)
50. Natalie Cole with Nat “King” Cole “Unforgettable” (1991)

51. Tony Bennett “I Left My Heart in San Francisco” (1962)
52. Frank Sinatra “Strangers in the Night” (1966)
53. Louis Armstrong “Hello, Dolly!” (1964)
54. Kings of Leon “Use Somebody” (2008)
55. Bruce Springsteen “Streets of Philadelphia” (1994)
56. Stan Getz with Joao Gilberto “The Girl from Ipanema” (1964)
57. Miley Cyrus “Flowers” 58. The Doobie Brothers “What a Fool Believes” (1978)
59. Bruno Mars “That’s What I Like” (2016)
60. Bette Midler “Wind Beneath My Wings” (1988)

61. Bruno Mars and Anderson Paak as Silk Sonic “Leave the Door Open” (2021)
62. Peabo Bryson with Regina Belle “A Whole New World” (1992)
63. Bobby McFerrin “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” (1988)
64. James Taylor “You’ve Got a Friend” (1971)

DMDB Top 2%:

65. Christopher Cross “Sailing” (1980)
66. Toto “Rosanna” (1982)
67. Lizzo “About Damn Time” (2022)
68. The Beatles “Michelle” (1965)
69. Steve Winwood “Higher Love” (1986)
70. Childish Gambino “This Is America” (2018)

71. Eric Clapton “Change the World” (1996)
72. Norah Jones “Don’t Know Why” (2002)
73. Barbra Streisand “Evergreen (Love Theme from A Star Is Born)” (1976)
74. Shawn Colvin “Sunny Came Home” (1997)
75. Barry Manilow “I Write the Songs” (1975)
76. Bruno Mars “24K Magic” (2016)

DMDB Top 5%:

77. The Fifth Dimension “Up, Up and Away” (1967)
78. Dixie Chicks “Not Ready to Make Nice” (2006)
79. Billie Eilish “What Was I Made For?” (2023)
80. Judy Collins “Send in the Clowns” (1975)

81. Billie Eilish “Everything I Wanted” (2020)
82. Paul Simon “Graceland” (1986)
83. U2 “Sometimes You Can’t Make It on Your Own” (2005)
84. Henry Mancini “The Days of Wine and Roses” (1963)
85. U2 “Walk On” (2001)
86. Bette Midler “From a Distance” (1990)
87. George Benson “This Masquerade” (1976)
88. Sammy Davis, Jr. “What Kind of Fool am I?” (1962)
89. Kendrick Lamar “Not Like Us” (2024)

DMDB Top 10%:

90. Linda Ronstadt with James Ingram “Somewhere Out There” (1986)
91. Tony Bennett “The Shadow of Your Smile (Love Theme from The Sandpiper)” (1965)
92. Robert Plant with Alison Krauss “Please Read the Letter” (2007)
93. Ferrante & Teicher “Theme from Exodus” (1960)
94. John Mayer “Daughters” (2004)
95. Carole King “You’ve Got a Friend” (1971)
96. Roger Miller “Little Green Apples” (1968)
97. Joe South “Games People Play” (1968)
98. Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass “A Taste of Honey” (1965)
99. Luther Vandross “Dance with My Father” (2003)

DMDB Top 20%:

100. Bonnie Raitt “Just Like That” (2022)

Beyond the DMDB Top 20%:

101. H.E.R. “I Can’t Breathe” (2020)
102. Ray Charles with Norah Jones “Here We Go Again” (2004)

Resources/Related Links:

First posted 1/19/2012; last updated 2/3/2025.

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Saturday, November 14, 2015

Adele’s “Hello” debuted at #1

Hello

Adele

Writer(s): Adele Adkins, Greg Kurstin (see lyrics here)

Released: October 23, 2015

First Charted: November 7, 2015

Peak: 110 US, 14 RR, 111 BA, 17 DG, 17 ST, 116 AC, 17 A40, 14 AA, 10a RB, 13 UK, 17 CN, 16 AU, 13 DF (Click for codes to charts.)

Sales (in millions): 7.0 US, 1.86 UK, 15.24 world (includes US + UK)

Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 2910.90 video, 1524.84 streaming

Awards:

Click on award for more details.

About the Song:

Adele’s second album, 21, made her a superstar – and set the expectations high for her follow-up album, 25. She introduced new material via a commercial in the United Kingdom on The X Factor on October 18, 2015. Vanity Fair’s Josh Duboff said “the internet collectively lost its mind” after the thirty-second broadcast of “Hello.” WK The single was released five days later. It debuted at #1 in 20 countries, including the United States’ Billboard Hot 100 where it stayed for 10 weeks. It was her fourth #1 in the United States and her second in the U.K. It became the first song to sell more than a million digital copies in a week WK and set a record for 7.32 million streams in its first week. WK

The video also set a record with more than 27.7 million views in a 24-hour span, beating the previous record of 20.1 million views by Taylor Swift’s “Bad Blood.” WK It set the Vevo record for the fastest video to reach 100 million views in five days. WK The video also became the quickest to reach one billion views on YouTube – 88 days. WK MTV named it Video of the Year at its 2016 Video Music Awards. WK

The song won Grammys for Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Pop Solo Performance. 25 won for Album of the Year and Pop Vocal Album, giving Adele five Grammys for the night. She became the first artist in history to win the three general field awards in the same ceremony twice. WK

The “piano ballad with soul influences” WK was marked by lyrics focused on “themes of nostalgia and regret and plays out like a conversation.” WK The song took six months to write – her co-writer, Greg Kurstin, said he wondered “if Adele was ever going to come back and finish it.” WK Kurstin ended up playing bass, guitar, drums, piano, and keyboards on the song. WK The result was what The Guardian’s Alex Petridis described as “precisely the kind of lovelorn epic ballad that made Adele one of the biggest stars in the world.” WK

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Last updated 3/31/2024.

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Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Grammy Nominations 2013

image from grammy.com

The nominations for the 2013 Grammy Awards were announced in conjunction with a live CBS broadcast in Nashville, Tennessee, which featured performances from Maroon 5, The Who, Fun., Hunter Hayes, The Band Perry, Dierks Bentley, and Luke Bryan. Taylor Swift and LL Cool J hosted. The Grammys will be awarded February 10, 2013. Here were the nominations for the biggest categories:

ALBUM OF THE YEAR:

  • The Black Keys El Camino
  • Fun. Some Nights
  • Mumford & Sons Babel
  • Frank Ocean Channel Orange
  • Jack White Blunderbuss

RECORD OF THE YEAR: (goes to the performers)

  • The Black Keys “Lonely Boy”
  • Kelly Clarkson “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)”
  • Fun. featuring Janelle Monáe “We Are Young”
  • Gotye featuring Kimbra “Somebody That I Used to Know”
  • Frank Ocean “Thinkin’ ‘Bout You”
  • Taylor Swift “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together”

Somebody That I Used to Know

SONG OF THE YEAR: (goes to the songwriters)

  • Kelly Clarkson “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)”
  • Fun. featuring Janelle Monáe “We Are Young”
  • Carly Rae Jepsen “Call Me Maybe”
  • Miguel “Adorn”
  • Ed Sheeran “The A Team”

We Are Young

BEST NEW ARTIST:

  • Alabama Shakes
  • Fun.
  • Hunter Hayes
  • The Lumineers
  • Frank Ocean
Frank Ocean, Mumford & Sons, fun., Jay-Z, and Kanye West each scored six nominations. The Black Keys landed five and member Dan Auerbach also got one as producer. Miguel and Chick Corea each nabbed five noms. Among other artists scoring more than one nomination are Kelly Clarkson (4), Taylor Swift (3), Gotye (3), Jack White (3), Bruce Springsteen (3), Hunter Hayes (3), Alabama Shakes (3), Carly Rae Jepsen (2), Maroon 5 (2), Coldplay (2), Muse (2), and the Lumineers (2).
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Sunday, February 12, 2012

Why the Grammys Are Hard to Take Seriously







Well, the Grammys are tonight. In past years, I’ve made my predictions for Album of the Year, but not much else. Of course, Adele is so widely expected to sweep tonight that it makes predictions somewhat, well, predictable. Even my “Steve Theory” (initially presented in a January 2010 blog post called And the Grammy Goes to…Steve?) supports her 21 as the winner. Okay, I haven’t actually asked Steve which album would win, but I know his tastes and this is the one he’d pick.

Since the only real story tonight will be if Adele doesn’t win Album of the Year, Song of the Year, and Record of the Year, there isn’t much else of note to report. With the death of Whitney Houston just yesterday, the most moving moment at the Grammys is likely to be a tribute on her behalf. We’ll see what happens.

Is anyone NOT picking Adele to go home with a lot more than two of these tonight?



Instead, this seems like a good time to vent. For those who regularly follow this blog, this entry won’t be too surprising. As some of you may know, Dave’s Music Database is a consolidation of all kinds of data such as sales figures, chart data, airplay, awards, and appearances on best-of lists to determine the best songs, albums, and acts of all time. This mix of looking at commercial success and critical acclaim for artists and their works over time produces pretty sturdy results, if I do say so myself.

The Grammys, however, don’t often prove to much of an indication of what will stand the test of time. As evidenced through several previous DMDB blog posts, the Grammys have a habit of bad picks for the big four: Best New Artist, Album of the Year, Song of the Year, and Record of the Year (check those links here or under the “Related DMDB Blog Entries” heading below). While there are certainly deserving winners each year, there are so many worthy candidates who either don’t win or don’t even get nominated as to make the Grammys laughable.

The Grammys never saw fit to award Led Zeppelin with any of its prizes.



Oh, I’ll still watch. I’m eager to see Bruce Springsteen perform. The Beach Boys are supposed to play alongside some of today’s hip new acts. I hope someone offers a moving speech in tribute to Whitney Houston. There will hopefully be some surprises. I also think if the big four awards go the way they should, this might prove to be the rare year when the Grammys get it right. Still, it doesn’t make up for how many grievous errors music’s king of the hill has made. While Starland Vocal Band and Milli Vanilli can boast to having Grammy gold sitting atop their fireplace mantels (albeit the latter only held on to it briefly), a slew of notable acts can make no such claim. Just check out this post from Spinner.com from a year ago at Grammy time, in which they note the following acts who’ve never won a Grammy for ANYTHING, much less one of the big four awards: The Beach Boys, Chuck Berry, The Doors, The Grateful Dead, Jimi Hendrix, Buddy Holly, Janis Joplin, The Kinks, Led Zeppelin, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Bob Marley, Queen, Diana Ross, Tupac Shakur, The Supremes, The Who, and Neil Young. Sigh.

The Grammys decided Milli Vanilli was more worthy of Grammy gold than any of those fly-by-night acts listed above.




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Saturday, January 25, 2003

Norah Jones’ Come Away with Me hit #1

Come Away with Me

Norah Jones

Released: February 26, 2002

Peak: 14 US, 14 UK, 15 CN, 13 AU

Sales (in millions): 2.0 US, 2.56 UK, 27.0 world (includes US and UK)

Genre: adult contemporary/jazz

Tracks:

Song Title (date of single release, chart peaks) Click for codes to charts.

  1. Don’t Know Why (5/28/02, 29a US, 4 AC, 5 AA, 8 A40, 59 UK, 5 AU)
  2. Seven Years
  3. Cold, Cold Heart
  4. Feelin’ the Same Way (8/2/02, –)
  5. Come Away with Me (10/8/02, 12 AA, 21 A40, 80 UK)
  6. Shoot the Moon
  7. Turn Me On
  8. Lonestar
  9. I’ve Got to See You Again
  10. Painter Song
  11. One Flight Down
  12. Nightingale
  13. The Long Day Is Over
  14. The Nearness of You

Total Running Time: 45:03

Rating:

4.004 out of 5.00 (average of 16 ratings)

Awards:

(Click on award to learn more).

About the Album:

Nearly a year after its release, Norah Jones’ Come Away with Me nabbed the #1 spot on the Billboard album chart. A month later, Norah Jones won eight Grammys, including Album of the Year and Record and Song of the Year for the lead single, Don’t Know Why. That pushed the album to 10 million in sales domestically and a total of 27 million worldwide.

“Though its surprising success…overwhelmed it, this seductively modest little record is a marvel of mood and invention. The songwriting and arrangements are sophisticated, often jazzy, yet full of catchy hooks. And Jones’ vocals are silken and perfectly turned, setting a seamless mood that could soundtrack high-end restaurants and low-rent make-out sessions alike. And the sexy double entendre of the hit ‘Don’t Know Why’ (‘…I didn’t come’) still sounds sly as hell.” RS’11

Her voice, which “is mature beyond her 22 years,” AZ has “a touch of Rickie Lee Jones” AMG while the arrangements suggest a touch of Bonnie Raitt. AMG “Her youth and her piano skills could lead one to call her an Alicia Keys for grown-ups.” AMG “Her assured phrasing and precise time are more often found in older singers as well. She is instantly recognizable, blending shades of Billie Holiday and Nina Simone without sounding like anyone but herself. Any way you slice it, she is a singer to be reckoned with.” AZ

Her “debut on Blue Note is a mellow, acoustic pop affair with soul and country overtones, immaculately produced by the great Arif Mardin.” AMG “Jones is not quite a jazz singer, but she is joined by some highly regarded jazz talent: guitarists Adam Levy, Adam Rogers, Tony Scherr, Bill Frisell, and Kevin Breit; drummers Brian Blade, Dan Rieser, and Kenny Wolleson; organist Sam Yahel; accordionist Rob Burger; and violinist Jenny Scheinman.” AMG

Jones does “convincing readings of Hank Williams’ Cold Cold Heart, J.D. Loudermilk’s Turn Me On, and Hoagy Carmichael’s The Nearness of You.” AMG “Heart” and “Nearness” alone “are worth the price of the CD.” AZ

“Her regular guitarist and bassist, Jesse Harris and Lee Alexander, respectively, play on every track and also serve as the chief songwriters. Both have a gift for melody, simple yet elegant progressions, and evocative lyrics.” AMG

“Jones, for her part, wrote the title track and the pretty but slightly restless Nightingale.” AMG Her material, “while not bad, pales a bit next to such masterpieces. They might have fared better had she…opted for some livelier arrangements” AZ “or if the tunes had simply been given less laconic performances.” AZ Still, “while the mood of this record stagnates after a few songs, it does give a strong indication of Jones’ alluring talents.” AMG She “has all the tools; what will come with experience and some careful listening to artists like J.J. Cale and Shirley Horn is the knack of remaining low-key without sounding sleepy – sometimes less is not, in fact, more.” AZ

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First posted 3/28/2008; last updated 3/15/2024.

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