Singer/pianist Norah Jones [ tickets ] is pleasantly predictable on her debut CD, "Come Away with Me," and follow-up, "Feels Like Home." Her songs are laced with tender piano tones and muted, jazz-inflected rhythms.

But she offered a few surprises during her show Monday (10/11) at Phoenix's Cricket Pavilion.

Hank Hill, the animated lead character in Fox television's "King of the Hill," introduced Jones as a fellow Texan with whom he is acquainted. That served a dual purpose: in addition to being a greeting, it warned patrons not to use cell phones or pagers during Jones' performance. He said he witnessed Jones going off on a noisy patron with a microphone stand. "I never heard 'Come Away with Me' again the same way," he said.

Humor was in evidence throughout Jones' 90-minute performance. At one point, when she stepped away from her piano and walked over to a microphone stand, Jones did a short--but hilarious--Axl Rose imitation from the "Welcome to the Jungle" video.

A running theme throughout her show was bird excrement on top of her piano. During her performance, as the waste material accumulated, she kept looking up at the ceiling of the pavilion, hoping that she wouldn't get hit.

"I wouldn't drink out of that cup," she told one of her band members as he prepared to sip from it.

Each time she mentioned the bird, she generated laughter from the audience. She never sounded offended by the bird droppings. Instead, she cooed that the bird must be "cute."

While Jones' music is melancholy and lovelorn, Jones, daughter of sitarist Ravi Shankar, oozed charm. She won over the audience with tales of the road and stories behind her songs. After a studio-ready rendition of "Don't Know Why," Jones said she was thrilled to sing that song with Elmo on "Sesame Street."

"I had a date with the letter Y, but he stood me up. I guess he had to deal with his ex or something, I heard," she said with a giggle, adding that the televised version of the song was titled "Don't Know Y." "Eventually he showed up and he took me square dancing."

She used that line as a segue to "Creepin' In," a country-influenced song that she sings with Dolly Parton on "Feels Like Home."

During her performance, Jones offered a cross-section of songs from both of her albums, as well as a cover of a Gram Parsons song. The audience absorbed her talent, maintaining quiet for the most part to hear each note of her songs. Fans who were talking during her set were subjected to die-hard patrons swearing at them to quiet down.

Jones even noted the audience's behavior.

"You're so quiet. Not that it's a bad thing. Either way is fine."

Singing in hushed tones herself for most of the performance, she kicked in a little soul during "Feels Like Home."

If there was one thing that Jones' performance proved, it's that she is the entire package: a talented, personable show-woman, and a capable songwriter who delivers timeless vocals.