and Rakim's 'Paid in Full,' Public Enemy's 'Can't Truss It' and MARRS' 'Pump Up The Volume.' But this album had a whole other side, and depth of meaning, that remained largely shuttered off to non-Israeli fans. And you can dance to it: The opening track 'Im Nin'alu' has become something of a sampling staple, heard in Eric B. The album's core, however, is Haza's rich alto voice, shaded with Middle Eastern melisma but driven by pop's raw power. It boasts a clever mix of Yemeni Jewish percussion and rhythms interwoven through a palette of strings, woodwinds, brass, synths and drum machines. three years later, this album by Israeli singer Ofra Haza was an unlikely international touchstone, with lyrics sprung from the work of a 16th-century Yemeni Jewish poet, Rabbi Shalom Shabazi. Originally released in 1984 in Israel and released in the U.S. Marissa Lorusso (NPR Music)ДҐ0 Gates Of Wisdom (Yemenite Songs) (Shanachie, 1987) In doing so, she proved how crucial the voice can be as an instrument, especially within the dream-pop and shoegaze movements Cocteau Twins inspired. Combined with lyrics that were more personal and, at times, more uplifting than on previous records, Fraser's performance on Heaven breathed life and warmth into the band's sound. By centering Fraser's unique vocals and hooky melodies on Heaven or Las Vegas, Cocteau Twins crafted a truly gorgeous sound, and proved it was - underneath the swirling technical innovation of its sound - truly a pop band at heart. She slurs syllables and turns vowels inside out to invoke both mood and meaning, demonstrating total control over the sounds and shapes of the words she sings. On the album, Fraser's vocals are immediate yet still mysterious. Rather than crafting instrumental textures involving Fraser's voice, Heaven presents paintings whose principal color is her voice, and sacrifices none of the dense complexity underneath. But on the Scottish band's 1990 album, Heaven or Las Vegas, Fraser's voice rose to the forefront, no longer submerged. Just under the icy synthesizers and effects-laden guitars of early Cocteau Twins albums, Elizabeth Fraser's nimble, otherworldly voice peers up at the surface, hinting at pop accessibility without ever fulling committing.

It earned her a major-category sweep at the Grammys, and in 2005, the album notched more than 10 million copies sold - a feat that made Jones the last artist to achieve diamond status for another seven years.

Still, most of the album comprises original material, with Jones penning the memorable title song - a lovely, country-tinged waltz - and a few others. On Come Away With Me, released by the storied jazz label Blue Note, she sang Great American Songbook standards like 'The Nearness of You' and country classics such as 'Cold Cold Heart' with rare, unhurried intimacy. Norah Jones's distinctive voice, laced with a mellow smoke that might have originated at either the cabaret or honky-tonk, was immediately a force to contend with.

At a time when the music industry was increasingly plagued by piracy and saw rapid declines in album sales, the debut album by a twenty-something old soul (who also happened to be a sitar master's daughter) was an unlikely success story.

Lyrics cold cold heart