If you're a Norah Jones fan....you must hear this album. You can immediately sense that this is her "first love" of music. Incredible band. I can't stop listening to it. My two little boys sing the songs all over the house. So great...I hope we hear more from The Little Willies!

I love this CD! I am a big fan of Norah Jones, so based on a recommendation on this site, I bought it. Wonderful! The song "Best of All Possible Worlds" is one of the best here, but I was shocked to learn that it was written by Kris Kristofferson. I reevaluated after I learned, but I still like it.

A big fan of Norah and country music I was excited by the potential of this album but it is a waste of time. The songs uniformly fail to excite, you get the sense that none of the very talented people involved in the production really cared about putting together a good recording. Not awful, but not good which for me was very disappointing.

A found this CD disappointing. The tracks seem too raw and a touch unprofessional.

This is so reminiscent of my childhood. Song styles of the past, very folksy, bluesy and sweet. I really enjoyed her selections and the vocal harmony.

This CD was recommended with Norah Jones' new CD by Amazon so I took the advice and purchased it! Wrong!

IT WAS AWFUL!!!!!

Not a bad album, but clearly best when Norah Jones has the mic. This seems to have been a diversion for her, rather than a serious effort. Still, if you are a NJ fan, this is a must. It does nicely show her affection for the C&W genre.

Liked it up to a point. The music was good, jazzy and attention
grabbing.

For those of us who prefer our artists to have more talent than spin-doctor marketing this CD will help fill that hole in our auditory souls. Lee Alexander not only plays great bass but has offered a dependably strong production. And what can one say about Nora Jones? Her love of pure country comes through in her smooth, easy, yet sophisticated phrasings that often make you close your eyes and smile. What a gem this CD is and once you hear it I'm sure that you, too, will be ready to thank Nora for keeping her feet planted firmly on the ground and inviting us to spend a little time with The Little Willies.

I love all Norah Jones so had to try this deviation for her. It is delightful.

Any band that's got Norah Jones in it, is bound to attract a lot of attention.While this five-opiece band has been performing on and off for a number of years in and around New York, their profile took to new heights when they decided to record an album made up primarily with covers of old country tunes the band members like a lot.

"The Willies" (13 tracks, 43 min.) starts off with a funny "Roly Roly", followed by "I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive". Richard Julian and Norah Jones take turns on lead vocals, and duet on a couple of songs. On "Roll On", one of the 4 original songs on the album, and "Night Life", the least country-like of the songs, it feels like a Norah Jones solo-album. Other highlights include "Streets of Baltimore" and "Best of All Possible Worlds". The album is sequenced very well, and before you know it, the closer "Lou Reed" has come and gone as well.

"The Little Willies" is a pleasant album with out a doubt. But it is veyr unlikely that this would have found its way to many CD collections, but for the fact that Norah Jones is in the band. Speaking of which, Norah's new albu is set for release in early 2007. Until then, "The Little Willies" is a fun divert.

These musicians started playing live gigs together in New York City just for the fun of it. They kept coming back. Eventually, they went into the studio to cut some tracks. The feel is loose. The sound reflects the great love of the music and the fun the musicians had together. The sound is infectious. No, this is not a Norah Jones record. Nor is it meant to be, thus the band title "The Little Willies" and the Milking Bull music label. Therefore, the musicians have gone to great pains not to create false expectations.

The music here is quite endearing. I remember listening to Hank Williams' records with "I'll Never Get Out of this World Alive." Hank's classic sound often had a forlorn quality when he sang. The Willies boogie through the tune as if death were quite a party. Townes Van Zandt's high tenor also made you think he was the loneliest man on Earth. On his "No Place to Fall," Richard Julian goes deep and mines the great wistfulness in the melody, "I'm here & I'm gone & I'm forever blue, oh but I'm sure wanting you." Gram Parsons sang "Streets of Baltimore" with Emmylou Harris' angelic backing. With Richard Julian and Norah Jones, the song feels a bit more upbeat with Jones' vibrant piano. The Willies really polish this melody. I keep hitting repeat when it comes on the changer. Other tracks like "Easy As the Rain" & "Roll On" are also outstanding. This is an excellent project from these musicians. The love comes through. Enjoy!

I purchased this album after hearing a track on local radio and being taken with the musicality. After having heard the album several times now I am not sure which is my favourite track but one thing is for sure, despite there being some serious mus'os on this album Norah Jones for me is a standout. If you want to kick back and listen to something a little different give this album a try. It has some great tracks and even the tracks that are not so fantastic are still better than most fillers on other cd's.
Gerry

This must have been fun to record but it feels to me like they were just having a lark w/country music. As a result, it's competently performed, but bland in a sort of Country Lite kind of way. When famous musicians cross genres, it's more rewarding when they at least bring us something new, or dive in w/both feet and give us the texture of the new genre--I was looking forward to something more. Instead, it's like hearing a good country cover band in a Las Vegas lounge (nothing wrong w/that, but at least in Vegas the music is free).

There are many better country or folk or bluegrass albums on the market right now that are more rewarding than this. Start with, say, "You Don't Know Me - Songs of Cindy Walker," just released by Willie Nelson, a better example of how to do a tribute album.

I purchased this CD before going on vacation. With both a seven-year-old and a nine-year-old in the car, we had to endure the loud soundtracks of movies from the back seat. And, when I suggested that we turn off the TV and listen to a CD, they were both unhappy! That is, until I popped in this CD. These happy tunes made all of us smile and my kids even started to sing along! If you want a CD that will make your day, purchase this one!

I'm a recording engineer by trade. I sit in little rooms with no windows and big speakers listening to the same song for 15 hour stretches for weeks in a row. Every now and again a record will roll through that is actually fun to make. This sounds like one of those recordings.

Whether or not the players took this seriously or not will only be known to them and the production team, but the presentation comes across as if it was just a bunch of talented friends hanging around a studio and having some fun making music.

With a great cover version of one of my absolute favorite Hank songs, the album might have been able to leave one or two songs in the can... but rip the album to an iPod and those songs can be the right breath of fresh air as you're driving. The audio quality and production decisions of the recording should also be noted. Yeah, there are some notes of questionable tuning but the their presentation is so believable the record would not have been served if those notes had been corrected. Matt Marinelli captured the sounds with perfection, and didn't over process or manipulate it later [or so it seems!!].

The record works for me in a big way and I for one am exceptionally happy to own a copy of this recording [a client for whom I'm going to start a project in a few months sent me the copy as a kind of template for the way he'd like his project to come out... if we get 1/2 way there then that is going to be one damn fun project!!].

Great collection if you like Nora and also like Texas Swing. There's Nora doing a few cuts as lead and sounding great as usual. The other cuts on the CD are great country tunes, some funny, some sad with a tight band keeping it interesting. Definately worth a listen.

...but I really do despite the fact it's not as close to classic country as the band would have liked. There's not very much twang on this CD at all but it's still pleasing to have a band this popular and talented bring out some old country standards that the majority of radio country listeners don't know. Loved the bluesy cover of Never Get Out of This World Alive, argueably the last song Hank Williams ever wrote.

And fellas, if you're trying to find that sexy song to get your woman in the mood, play the cover of Love Me. Her pants should fly right off. Seriously, it's that good!

As a big fan of REAL classic country (NOT Kenny Rogers, etc.!) I still like this CD so much it stays in my CD player for days on end even though it's not really country. Although I know who Norah Jones is and have heard her music at the store or in a doctors office, I don't own any of her material so her smoky voice is still kind of new to me and this is my first sustainable exposure to her so that may have a lot to do with how much I enjoy this CD as well.

By the way, Bob Wills popularized Roly Poly - not Hank Williams. You know....Bob Wills...the king of western swing?? Thy allmusic.com to learn more about all the original songs.

Imagine this: A country CD composed primarily of cover songs is released. The material is gently easygoing, pleasantly unexceptional. It's good-time music for a summer's night; you probably won't remember a single song the next day, but you will recall a general vibe of friendly twang and agreeably laid-back female vocals.

That's this CD, and the only reason you've heard of it is because of Norah Jones. That is not a criticism; she's quite talented. And if you're a country music fan who doesn't have her hopes up too high, you'll like this project. Just don't expect to be "wowed."

Exquisite - the best thing to come along in American music since "Music From Big Pink". While more country than The Band, the influences of country, blues, folk, jazz, r&b, are all there as are the sensibilities that allow for a true "sum is greater than the parts" ensemble.

A must have CD - buy it.

....than you will probably like this one. I did.
Nice driving CD.

This band, a collection of friends who probably get together and drink expensive wine and listen to old records and decided "hey, let'd do a country record. Norah's famous, we can ride the coattails of her fame with an in-joke record that shows what eclectic listeners we are." Well, they came through on their threat, and we are treated to the soulless mess of The Little Willies. This record has absolutely nothing to do with country music other than the fact that they chose to cover some of the greats, and do those songs no favors. Jim Campilongo was invited along because he owns a telecaster, and he works his fingers to the bone trying to put some twang on this record, but to no avail. His solos are hot, but sound flown-in compared to the rest of the doodling. This is country for people who don't like country, or who hold salons instead of having drinking buddies. Norah Jones is talented, but her talent has limits, starting with the Little Willies. They did excel in one department: they did the absolute worst cover of "I Gotta Get Drunk" that I've ever heard. The Little Willies treat country music like a bauble to be played with, a cheap, easy music that can be played by anyone and be valid. Wrong. Country music sounds easy because it is really hard to do it right, to not sound cheesy, or forced, or mocking, and this cheesy, forced album only succeeds in mocking the music it was trying to . . .I don't know . . . pay tribute to? I know this for sure, if Norah Jones wasn't on this record, it would not exist. It's a vanity project for a bunch of pretentious jazzbos and is vapid, soulless, and sometimes ridiculous (the aforementioned cover). There are soooo many great artists out there making great country music who are unheard that pretentious self-serving records like this just make me sad. It's a simple reminder of how the music business works.

This is an interesting departure for her. I enjoyed the disc. Not for everyone. I suspect some of her fans will not like the style.

If you like Norah Jones, you won't be disappointed. It's a particularly great road trip album.

Not too long ago, I saw a promotional banner for "The Little Willies" popping up on the iTunes music store homepage. Intrigued by the album cover that showed none of the faces of the musician, I clicked on it and listened to the sample tracks. I really liked the smoky, magnetic voice of the female lead singer and the jolly atmosphere that the music created. I decided to check up more by visiting this band's official website. Lo and behold - that very voice that attracted me was actually Norah Jones! (And the rest of the members are her good friends etc. etc. won't even go into that)

I really like Norah Jones' music and I've played COME AWAY WITH ME and FEELS LIKE HOME to death. "Don't Know Why" and "WHAT AM I TO YOU?" records a total play count of a couple hundred of times. I didn't even bother listening to the rest of the samples on THE LITTLE WILLIES - I bought the CD the very next day. Guess what? I have also played THE LITTLE WILLIES countless times.

This is a great buy. THE LITTLE WILLIES is a simple, down to earth record. It has no epic intentions of becoming the masterful release of the year, nor shattering musical boundaries and conquering sales charts. It is MUSIC - warm, delightful and very real. People have mentioned that the CD sounds like a live nightclub performance. I agree, and that's what makes it authentic.

I especially like the ballads rather than the uptempo songs. The best tracks, in my opinion, are the originals performed in Norah Jones' normal jazzy way - "Roll On" and "Easy As The Rain". These tracks are laid-back, breezy and feature the 'oh-so-famous' tinkling of Norah Jones' piano playing. They ARE similar to some songs found on Norah Jones' CDs and if you loved those CDs, these two tracks alone should compel you to buy THE LITTLE WILLIES.

On to other songs - being a fan of Elvis, Norah Jones' rendition of "Love Me" is most welcomed and enjoyed addition to this CD. Jazzed up and given a real sense of groovy 'oomph', "Love Me" is covered to perfection. A real enjoyment. Other tracks to note are "Streets Of Baltimore" and "It's Not You It's Me". The former features vocals other than Norah Jones. "Roly Poly" features excellently the collective musical instruments and singing of EVERYONE and is a good opener to the CD. It is upbeat, cheerful and will definitely put a smile on your face.

Overall, this CD is both country and jazz, and the bulk of it consists of covers of country favourites. If you like country, or if you like jazz and don't expect your music to be clearly defined and to strictly fall within a certain genre, you'll be fine with THE LITTLE WILLIES.

Note that this CD is NOT all about Norah Jones, but I'm only gushing over Norah Jones because I dare admit, the primary reason I paid this CD any attention is because of Ms Jones herself. That's a little biased, I know, but hey - Norah Jones has become a brand of music that I like. As such, if you found Norah Jones' music dull, please, stay away from this. But if you like relaxing music on a Sunday morning or on a Friday evening, THE LITTLE WILLIES is perfect.

4.5 stars. Buy.

Liam F.
28 June 2006

I like Jazz... I like country... I like Norah Jones and have been waiting for a new album to come out... but the best way to sum up this effort is disappointing. Listening to this collection of songs, it's hard not to expect the polished smoothness that Norah and the Handsome Band has produced in the past but gone is the silky "Norah Jones" piano as well as the emotional feeling of the "Handsome Band". The recording is billed as friends who love to create together but the chemistry is all wrong. Some of the electric guitar work is good but Norah's playing is choppy and labored and the rhythm without feeling. Mix in the warbled crooning of Richard Julian and you have an amateurish night club act.

Borrow the CD from your local library. That way you won't have to sell it in two weeks when you're tired of it.

I've been waiting for a new Norah Jones album for a while as I'm sure many of you have. So one day I heard the song "Roll On" on one of my cable music channels. It said it was "The Little Willies" but the distinctive voice and piano riffs told me it was Norah Jones. So I went right here to Amazon and I was right. I'm disapointed though that this album wasn't promoted because this is something people should hear! I'm not a country music fan at all but I'm not really sure you could define this music country. Jones infuses her spectacular voice and piano chops throughout the album even on the songs she doesn't sing lead vocals, which are a few. But make no mistake this is for all intents and purposes a new Norah Jones album, and it's great. I'd say it's better than her first two albums. The songs let her stretch out her vocals a little more and they show her sense of humor and fun. I hope the word gets out about "The Little Willies" because the 10-15 million people who bought Jones' other two albums will surely love this as much as I do.

An interesting album, but one I think that will sell more because of the novelty of Nora Jones than because of the overall quality. None of the covers are as good as the originals. In particularly, the Willies are a poor second to the beauty of Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris on "Streets of Baltimore". But for a generation unfamiliar with such classics as "Tennessee Stud" or "Gotta get Drunk", well, it's a nice introduction to the classics.

Buy it... but get the originals, especially Gram Parsons, a truly under appreciated genius.

I've read a lot of mixed reviews for this album & I'm really surprised. Its just some very talented friends having fun. Its a good drinking record. Barkeep, pour me another.

This CD is both polished and raw at the same time. It feels like a live performance but the quality of the sound tells me it was done in a really great studio. It has a spontaneous feel and sound to it. Mostly, it sounds like all concerned are just having great fun and it is contagious! I was trying to "Dupe it" to carry a copy in my car (actually my truck) and there must be some sort of copy guard system on it because I couldn't dupe it. No matter, I'll just transfer it from the house to the truck. Nora's soulful, relaxed vocals and minimalist piano work great on this album. It seems that with her, it is about the song, not about "look how good I am." All the other players on the ablum are the same caliber as Nora too. What a great group!
I will love her forever for being true to the music and her craft and not engaging into the showcasing of her ego. As I say that I recognize that she is a goddess among most mere mortals and her talent is equal to her beauty. Her humility floors me. She should be declared a National Treasure up there with artists like Stevie Wonder, Aretha, the late Johnny Cash, James Taylor, Carole King, and of course, Willie.

Norah Jones has always been a favorite. But this CD is a little something extra special. It has a light hearted melody and the lyrics are hysterical. I listen to this CD in the car and just love it. It puts me in a good mood and keeps me there!! My 9 month old daughter loves it too. She especially loves the Roly Poly song! My husband seems to like the Gotta get drunk song...It is very funny I must say.

No word on whether Norah Jones's collaboration with Ryan Adams last year caused her to get inspired to do this album. Adams has been on a Grateful Dead and Gram Parsons binge of late, and in his case, it worked great.

The songs on this CD sound like the kind of songs the Dead might have covered. At times, Richard Julian even sounds a little like Bob Weir. He's got kind of a Lyle Lovett thing going on with his voice too.

"Roly Poly" and "I gotta get drunk" are the only throwaways. Other than that, great country sh*t kicking album by a bunch of big city folk.

What a pleasant surprise..ok, I'd probably pay to hear Norah Jones sing out of the Yellow Pages, but this whole CD should remind us that there is and was great American music, long before the Brtiish Invasion. I am not "Country Music Fan", but I thoroughly enjoy this disc...and it's hard to put a label on it, so perhaps that is the reason it is so refreshing. I was fortunate enough to hear them play live last Friday at the TLA in Philly - and their version of Dolly Parton's "Jolene" needs to be reocrded somewhere, as it was simply awesome. Anyway, do yourself a favor and give in to the Willies!

I love Norah Jones and with the Little Willies I can't get enough....I would highly recommend this CD.

Is Norah not satisfied with the money she has made by fooling everyone? This CD is slightly better than the others as there more talent involved with the other musicians.