Little Broken Hearts

Untitled

...Little Broken Hearts is the fifth studio album by American singer-songwriter Norah Jones, which will be released May 1, 2012 on Blue Note Records. The album follows the release of 2009's The Fall. The album is produced by Danger Mouse, who is notable for his production work with The Black Keys, Gnarls Barkley, and Beck, among others.

Background

Back in 2009, Norah Jones and Brian Burton jammed in Gnarls Barkley producer's Los Angeles studio to begin work on a project which nobody knew about it. They spent five days together in June 2009, working on what would eventually become Jones' fifth solo album. The sessions were fruitful, but neither of them weren't quite satisfied. They spent the next two years working separately on other projects: she completed her fourth studio album The Fall, recorded another album with her old Alternative Country band mates, The Little Willies which turned to For The Good Times. Burton started a new project Broken Bells with James Mercer, spending some time in studio with U2 and working on their thirteenth studio album and produced The Black Keys seventh studio album, El Camino. The duo previously collaborated on the 2011 album Rome, on which she contributed vocals to the tracks "Season's Trees", "Black" and "Problem Queen". Soon after the project was completed, the two headed into the studio again to work on her fifth album.

In summer of 2011 Jones and Burton reconvened at Burton's studio to finish up ...Little Broken Hearts. At this time Jones brought a handful of raw, emotionally charged new tunes she penned in the wake of a harsh breakup with her fiction-writer boyfriend. in an interview with Rolling Stone March issue she said: "I always heard the old stories about how you write better songs when you go through some shit. That sucks, but it's true!"

Composition

...Little Broken Heart follows from experimental chamber serenades to stark, electronic-embellished confessions. as Brian Burton mention in his interview with Rolling Stone, this album is very different than anything Jones ever did before.

Rolling Stone writer Matt Diehl pointed the track "Take It Back" as Jones' boldest departure, which features fuzzed-out guitars and spooky, distorted vocals. On "4 Broken Hearts," he compared her to Dusty Springfield while confronting a mutual infidelity and, in the end, found a similarity between this record and Marvin Gaye's heartbreaking album Here, My Dear.

Packaging and title

Norah Jones portrayed herself as Hannah Brenshaw in Mudhoney poster.

The cover art for the album was loosely inspired from the poster to the film Mudhoney. Jones was recording the album at Danger Mouse's studio and saw the poster on the wall. She said, "Brian has this great collection of Russ Meyer posters in his studio. And this particular one, called Mudhoney, was right over the couch where I sat every day. I always was looking at it and thinking ‘that’s so cool I want to look like her!’ I remember staring at the poster the whole time we made the record. It’s a great visual."

The title of albums and the most of the tracks are also talking about her recent break-up with her fiction-writer boyfriend.

Promotion

On February 28, 2012 she premiered the first single from the album "Happy Pills" via her Facebook page on the SoundCloud. After she announced that she will perform in the 2012 SXSW, she added that she will perform her new song in the show for the first time. . "Happy Pills" is set to be released on March 6, 2012.

Track listing

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Good Morning"
2.	"Say Goodbye"
3.	"Little Broken Hearts"
4.	"She's 22"
5.	"Take it Back"
6.	"After the Fall"
7.	"4 Broken Hearts"
8.	"Travelin' On"
9.	"Out on the Road"
10.	"Happy Pills"
11.	"Miriam"
12.	"All a Dream"