Less whirlwind and more music

Norah JONES will be attending the Grammy ceremony tonight at Staples Center, but she won’t be sitting in the audience as a nervous nominee -- as she did last year.

She’ll be on stage to hand out the top award, album of the year, to this year’s winner.

Last year, of course, then 23-year-old Jones became the sensation of pop by picking up five Grammys, the most ever awarded a female artist in one year.

The awards -- including best new artist and album of the year (for her “Come Away With Me”) -- started immediate speculation about whether the jazz-influenced pop singer could live up to the expectations.

By the time of the Grammy win, Jones’ album was already on its way to blockbuster status with songs that brought a touch of emotional honesty and restraint to a pop scene that has long felt manufactured and shallow. Sales to date: nearly 8 million in the U.S.

The danger for such artists the second time around is getting so caught up trying to match those lofty sales that they lose the humanity and heart that made their music compelling in the first place.

“The record industry has gotten so into image that image becomes more important than the singer,” Jones said before the Grammys last year. “I don’t know if there are any less good singers than ever, but most don’t use their voices in ways that feel honest. Everyone just seems to go for the fast buck.”

Jones hasn’t compromised on her second album, “Feels Like Home,” which will be released Tuesday by Blue Note Records. The CD is as warm and evocative as its title. (See review, Page E56).

In an interview, Jones, 24, spoke about maintaining creative and emotional balance amid overwhelming success -- and the danger of trying to race after sales figures. She also revealed whom she’s rooting for in tonight’s Grammys.

How difficult was it dealing with the pressure that must have grown out of the Grammy wins and the other success?

I felt some pressure, but mostly because people kept asking me all year if I felt pressure [laughs]. If no one had asked, I probably wouldn’t have felt any at all, which I know sounds odd because everyone complains about pressure so much in this business.

The Grammys and the acceptance of the album made me feel great. But I also knew deep down that all that matters is for me to make another record I felt good about. The important thing was to make a good album and enjoy my life rather than get caught up in hoping it will sell x-million copies. It’s an unpredictable business and all you can control is the music itself.

The worst thing would be to make another record that sells but you don’t feel good about it, because you have to spend the next two years living with it on stage and the radio.

You’ve always said your interest was in music, not celebrity, but success often has a way of turning a performer’s head. Did you ever feel like joining the parade of pop singers in bikinis on the cover of Rolling Stone?

No [laughs again], all I wanted to do was go on tour and record. Besides, I don’t think they ever asked me to be on the cover. If they did, they probably wouldn’t be happy with the results because I’m not going to wear that kind of stuff. If I had a great body, maybe [laughs], but I think it would really be self-conscious and it’s not me.

What was your game plan when you started the new album? Did you want to have a balance of original songs and cover songs again? Did you want to stick to the same kind of musical tone or did you think about mixing it up more musically?

I approached it the same as the first. My one thought was I wanted to record all the originals we had from me and Lee [bassist Lee Alexander] and the rest of the band, then see what might be missing musically -- pick some covers to fill voids in the album. That was also my plan on the first album, but it hasn’t come together that way either time. We end up just recording the covers we like and those songs determine the album’s tone.

There were some wonderful cover songs in the live show last summer, including the Band’s “It Makes No Difference” and John Prine’s “That’s the Way the World Goes ‘Round.” Why didn’t you put them on the album?

I think “It Makes No Difference” is one of the best songs I’ve ever heard. I don’t know why we didn’t record it. Maybe it’s just that we stopped doing it live and it just wasn’t on our mind when we went into the studio. But I also like to keep some songs just for concerts so they are a treat at the shows, not something that you hear all the time on the record. But I have recorded the John Prine song with another band of mine -- a country band we have.

How did you find the Tom Waits song “Long Way Home” for the album?

That really was a surprise. I met him backstage at a show he was doing in New York and I was soooo excited to meet him because I love his records. Our drummer, Andy [Borger], used to play with him, so I was going to break the ice by saying, “Yeah, I play with one of your drummers,” or something. But the first thing Tom said was did I get the songs he sent me. Tom said he heard I was looking for songs for the next album. And I hadn’t. I had just got back from touring. I called my manager the next day and he had them. It was quite an honor. Now I’m scared to death.

You’re nervous about what he’ll think?

Yes. I realize I haven’t done covers of too many songwriters who are living on record, and it’s probably because I’d be too nervous about what they thought of my version. But I recorded “Long Way Home” because I love the words. They are so sweet. Even with his gruff voice on it, you want to go, “Ahhhh, how sweet,” when he sings, “Come with me and we can take the long way home.”

Of your own songs on the album, “What Am I to You?” may be the closest to the innocence of “Don’t Know Why.” What’s the story behind the song?

I actually wrote that about three years ago, and we just never quite got it to feel right in the studio. You want to make sure you capture a song’s feeling correctly on record because it’s out there forever.

When you are writing a song, does the music or the words usually come first?

It depends. “What Am I to You,” for instance, just came all at once. It was 4 in the morning and I probably finished it in an hour. It was just before I went to bed and the day after I wrote “Come Away With Me.” It’s good that I wrote them down because I’m sure I would have forgotten the next morning. I didn’t have a tape recorder at the time.

Do most of your songs come that quickly?

No, you have to work on some over a long period of time, but my favorites are the ones that come so fast.

What about “Don’t Miss You at All,” the song on the album based on Duke Ellington’s “Melancholia.” You’ve also had that for a long time, right?

Yes, I wrote it shortly after we signed with Blue Note and I tried to do it for the first album, but I wasn’t sure how the Ellington estate would feel about it so we put it aside. But everything has worked out.

You’ve spoken a lot about your love of country music. Still, it’s a surprise to hear a virtual hoedown track this time. How did “Creepin’ In” come about, and how did you get Dolly Parton to sing with you on it?

I did the Country Music Assn. Awards with her a few months ago and she was just so nice to me and Lee. I told her we were going into the studio the next week in New York and she said she was going to be in New York, so I just asked her if she’d sing on the record and she said yes. That was a joy.

How about this year’s Grammys? Any albums you’re rooting for?”

Well, probably my favorite of the year was Lucinda Williams’ “World Without Tears” [nominated for best contemporary folk album]. I think the songs are great, and I love the vibe on the whole record. I also really love the White Stripes, and I’m glad OutKast is doing well because they are just amazing. I hope all of them do really well.