Fans of soulful music are enjoying a rare treat as country/folk star Norah Jones revealed her gender-swapped take on “Hallelujah, I Love Her So”, a famous single originally sung by one of the most iconic elder statesmen of jazz music, Ray Charles, according to Consequence.
The reveal is part of the celebration surrounding the 20th anniversary of Jones’ diamond-certified debut album, Come Away with Me, which earned the artist Grammy Awards for Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album and set her on the path to becoming one of the most prominent creatives to debut in the early 2000s. You can check out Jones’ cover below.
The cover is markedly more laid back and jazzy with instrumentals that are a bit more supportive than collaborative, compared to Ray Charles’ more upbeat original, in which his voice and the instruments played off of each other a bit more. Notably, the cover does not feature the instrumental solo that took place about halfway through the original.
Jones’s take on the song is set to be part of a reissue of Come Away with Me’s 20th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition due for release on April 29, shortly before her anticipated return to touring at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival on May 8. Jones will be accompanied by musician Regina Spektor for parts of this upcoming tour.
Photo Credit: Sharon Alagna