Recently Added Tracks: Norah Jones, Anais Mitchell, and The Walkmen

It was a busy week for me adding tracks into heavy rotation, so here's a wrapup of the three different artists you'll be hearing a lot more of over the coming months on Dynamic Range Radio.

The biggest change to the playlist comes from Norah Jones, who has not one but two songs added to heavy rotation. For those who are keeping track, the number of times Norah Jones was played last week: once. The number of times Norah Jones will be played this week: closer to ten. This is the first time I've ever had a Norah Jones song in Heavy Rotation, with both the title track "Little Broken Hearts" and the lead single "Happy Pills" making the cut. Here's a very solid live version of "Little Broken Hearts":





When she burst onto the scene with her soft jazz stylings I was definitely not a fan. I was younger and snarkier back then, so I always used to refer to her as Snorah Jones. I guess I can't do that anymore, but anyone who still hates her is welcome to use that insulting nickname as long as you give me proper credit. Anyway, after watching the video for Happy Pills I have a new nickname for Norah Jones: Ravishing Shankar.



And to put an exclamation mark on my acceptance of Norah Jones as a serious artist, "Miriam" will be a part of this year's Halloween Broadcast, and I've also added her excellent cover of Tom Waits' "Long Way Home".



Next up is Anais Mitchell, who has been around for nearly a decade but didn't achieve the same kind of instant fame as Norah Jones, despite having Ani DiFranco and Bon Iver as two of her long-time supporters. She's actually been performing the song "Venus" live for several years now, but it hasn't appeared on record until her 2012 release "Young Man In America", which was the album that brought her to my attention. There's no official video for "Venus" yet, so you'll have to settle for this live solo version for now, but if I was her A&R man I'd be pushing heavily for "Venus" as the next single. And after that, maybe "Dyin' Day", which I've also added to the playlist.



And finally we have The Walkmen, who are one of those bands I never liked as much as I thought I was expected to. Their style is close enough in spirit to lots of other bands I love, and I've had a few tracks in the rotation before, but nothing of theirs has ever grabbed me quite like "Heaven". After making me sit up and take notice for the first time, maybe this will be the song that helps them break through to a new level of commercial success. I certainly think they deserve it, because there are other excellent songs on the album, such as "Heartbreaker" and "Love Is Luck", both of which will be added to playlist in the near future.