CALGARY -- Tasteful.

There's no better word to describe the music of young American jazz pop artist Norah Jones.

It's not a glowing endorsement, by any means, as she's far from a fresh and exciting talent.

Nor is it as dismissive as terming what the 24-year-old pianist and vocalist does -- and does very well, as the more than six million copies sold and eight Grammy Awards that greeted her debut Come Away With Me can attest -- as simply nice or pleasant.

Which it is.

But tasteful also implies a level of quiet dignity and reservation -- often mistaken for class -- which Jones, her style, her music and her album all seem to exude.

For those 2,700 who attended the artist's sold-out show last night at the Jubilee, the question was whether or not that tasteful approach to music would translate into an entertaining evening or would it simply be too quiet and reserved (read: dull) for an engaging live concert experience.

Before we could find out the answer to that question came opener Richard Julian, whom Jones casually introduced, wearing a black blouse and blue jeans.

Julian, a New York-based folk artist, came off like a mix of John Prine and Jimmy Buffett, his music predominantly observations on human relationships, featuring one or two witty lines -- "I want your flu, baby, not just your cough" -- that were more memorable than the songs they were in and ultimately Julian himself.

As for Jones, when she and her band finally took the stage, it was with the same casual demeanor she introduced her opener.

That was a mood that the artist thankfully carried throughout the entire show -- cracking the odd facial reaction here and there, delivering off-the-cuff banter -- and its what helped add a welcome dose of character to the evening. Jones isn't an incredibly dynamic performer, choosing instead to let her plainly pretty vocals and competent playing sell the material.

Beginning with her cover of Hank Williams' Cold Cold Heart, her set, not surprisingly, featured most of the songs from her Grammy-winning debut, although there were a couple of surprises, such as a handful of new tracks and gorgeous covers of the Everly Brothers' Sleepless Nights and Gram Parsons' She.

SONIC PEAKS AND VALLEYS

Live, the New Yorker and her five-piece gave the album's songs, such as Nightingale, and the title track, an earthiness and rootiness that's not present that's not present on the studio versions, which all seem to be painted and hindered with one slick, soft and BlueNote sheen.

The songs and Jones seemed freer, and the slow often dreary tempo that runs throughout Come Away With Me was cast aside in favour of a set with sonic peaks and valleys -- albeit ones that were far from startling.

Whether Jones was seated at the piano performing solo or giving the rest of the musicians the freedom to fill in some of those spaces, the evening was kept moving towards a predictable yet enjoyable conclusion.

And in the end it was a mildly surprising evening that showed Jones as slightly more than that one tasteful album.

(You could say she was a little tastier.

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