Spotlights: Norah Jones

When Norah Jones visited Austin during South By Southwest 1998, it wasn't to showcase. She was merely a Dallas college student away on her first spring break.

"We were too young to know what SXSW was and too young get into the bars," says the 22-year-old singer/piano player. "We were just two dorky singers and a French horn player staying in a horrible motel where it smelled like something dead was under the bed. It was a lot of drama."

This SXSW could be equally dramatic. She enters the festival as one of 2002's most notable newcomers; she played The Tonight Show on Grammy night, and Rolling Stone and Entertainment Weekly have already weighed in with gushing, can't-miss forecasts. The real proof is her instantly enthralling debut, Come Away With Me. Produced by legendary Atlantic Records arranger Arif Mardin and delivered by Blue Note, "jazz singer" is too confining a niche.

"I don't think I was ever disciplined enough to be a traditionalist," says Jones, who attended Dallas' Arts Magnet high school and the University of North Texas' prestigious jazz program before leaving for practical experience in New York. "I don't think it sounds like a jazz CD or that I necessarily sound like a jazz musician. It's where I come from, but I'm just a musician."

She may be just a musician, but she's already a musician with undeniable crossover appeal. Just as interesting is the notion that she's also a little bit alt.country -- Come Away With Me features Hank Williams' "Cold Cold Heart," while Johnny Cash's "A Little at a Time" is a live favorite. She also recently opened four dates for Willie Nelson.

"I went on the bus the first night and he gave me a hug and told me liked the way I play piano," says Jones. "I don't think I'll ever meet anybody I'll be more impressed with. I still can't get over how nice he is. I almost peed my pants."