Puss N Boots - No Fools, No Fun (2014) Lossless

Norah Jones gets more and more interesting the further and further she moves away from the breathy jazz-pop that led her to multiplatinum sales and an avalanche of Grammy Awards a decade ago. After her most recent collaborations with Brian "Danger Mouse" Burton (2012's "Little Broken Hearts") and Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong (2013's "Foreverly"), comes "No Fools, No Fun," an album recorded with friends and fellow songwriters Sasha Dobson and Catherine Popper. It's a distinctly casual affair, featuring just a smattering of original tracks mixed in with road-tested covers of tunes by Neil Young ("Down by the River"), Wilco ("Jesus, Etc.") and Rodney Crowell ("Bull Rider"). The trio's twangy, elegant voices make the songs sound quietly enchanting without ever compromising the project's overwhelming sense of fun. And if it doesn't result in another round of blockbuster sales for Ms. Jones? Don't know why she would need more precious metals anyway.