Day Breaks
Studio album by
Norah Jones
ReleasedOctober 7, 2016 (2016-10-07)
Recorded2015[1]
Studio
  • Sear Sound, New York City
  • Brooklyn Recording, New York City
Genre
Length48:47
LabelBlue Note
Producer
  • Norah Jones
  • Eli Wolf
Norah Jones chronology
Foreverly
(2013) 		Day Breaks
(2016) 		Spotify Singles
(2017)
Norah Jones studio album chronology
Little Broken Hearts
(2012) 		Day Breaks
(2016) 		Pick Me Up Off the Floor
(2020)
Singles from Day Breaks
  1. "Carry On"
    Released: August 5, 2016
  2. "Tragedy"
    Released: October 4, 2016
  3. "Flipside"
    Released: November 28, 2016[2]

Day Breaks is the sixth studio album by American singer-songwriter Norah Jones, released on October 7, 2016, through Blue Note Records.[3] The album features nine original songs and three covers. Jones returned to a piano-driven sound as heard on releases early in her career.[3] It peaked at number two on the US Billboard 200, becoming her sixth album to reach the top ten.[4] Day Breaks received positive reviews from music critics, with many praising the album's production and Jones' vocals with many comparing it favorably to her debut album Come Away with Me.[5] Jones promoted the album with television performances and interviews.

Release

Day Breaks was released on October 7, 2016, through Blue Note Records. At the time of its release it was made available on CD, vinyl and as a digital download. A limited edition orange vinyl was also released.[6]

Writing and recording

Eight songs on the album are composed or co-written by Jones; composing on piano, she intended the album as a return to the sound of her 2002 debut, Come Away with Me.[3] The album was co-produced by Jones and Eli Wolf and features drummer Brian Blade, organist Lonnie Smith and saxophonist Wayne Shorter.[7][8] Jones explains the songs were composed by drawing on jazz music influences and were recorded live without any overdubbing.[1][8]

There are three cover songs on Day Breaks: "Peace", by Horace Silver (first recorded by Jones in 2001), "Fleurette Africaine (African Flower)", by Duke Ellington and "Don't Be Denied", originally by Neil Young, whose lyrics were recast in the third person by Jones. The album also includes "Sleeping Wild" written by Sarah Oda, who co-wrote three other tracks on the album and co-produced.[3]

The album was released on October 7, 2016, with the first single being "Carry On".[3] Subsequent singles included the songs "Flipside" and "Tragedy".[9][10]

Promotion

Jones performed songs from Day Breaks on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon[11] and The Today Show.[12] She discussed the album on PBS's Tavis Smiley show on October 14, 2016.[13] She also appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and performed her cover of Horace Silver's "Peace" from the album. To further promote the album, Jones embarked on Daybreaks World Tour.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?7.1/10[14]
Metacritic77/100[5]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[15]
The Arts Desk[16]
The Buffalo News[17]
Entertainment WeeklyA−[18]
Evening Standard[19]
Exclaim!8/10[20]
Mojo[21]
NewsdayA[22]
The Sydney Morning Herald[23]
Uncut[24]

Day Breaks received an average score of 77/100 from 10 reviews on Metacritic, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[5] Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic rated the album four out of five stars and wrote that:

Jones' originals feel as elegant as time-honored standards, and all her covers feel fresh. The former speak to her craft, the latter to her gifts as a stylist, and the two combine to turn Day Breaks into a satisfying testament to her ever-evolving musicianship.[15]

Glenn Gamboa of Newsday rated the album an "A", calling it Jones' "latest masterpiece".[22] Rating the album an "A−", Entertainment Weekly's Jim Farber writes of Jones: "Not since her entrancing debut has she sounded this engaged."[18]

Accolades

Publication Rank List
Entertainment Weekly 25 The 50 Best Albums of 2016[25]
Rolling Stone 46 50 Best Albums of 2016[26]

Commercial performance

Day Breaks debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200 (behind Green Day's Revolution Radio), moving 47,000 equivalent album units; it sold 44,000 copies in its first week, with the remainder of its unit total reflecting the album's streaming activity and track sales, marking her sixth top five album on the chart.[4] It was a considerable drop from her previous efforts, Little Broken Hearts (2013) and The Fall (2009), which opened to sales of 110,000 and 180,000 units, respectively.[27] The album debuted at number one on the US Jazz Albums chart, making it Jones' second album to reach number one.[4]

Track listing

All tracks produced by Norah Jones and Eli Wolf, co-produced by Sarah Oda.

Standard edition[28][29]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Burn"Norah Jones, Sarah Oda4:38
2."Tragedy"Jones, Oda4:14
3."Flipside"Jones, Peter Remm3:41
4."It's a Wonderful Time for Love"Jones, Oda3:53
5."And Then There Was You"Jones, Remm3:05
6."Don't Be Denied"Neil Young5:36
7."Day Breaks"Jones, Remm3:57
8."Peace"Horace Silver5:15
9."Once I Had a Laugh"Jones3:12
10."Sleeping Wild"Oda3:07
11."Carry On"Jones2:48
12."Fleurette Africaine (African Flower)"Duke Ellington5:21
Total length:48:47
Target bonus tracks[30]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
13."Carry On" (Live at the Flynn Center for the Performing Arts (Burlington, VT, 2016)Jones2:37
14."Flipside" (Live at the Newport Jazz Festival (2016)Jones, Remm4:39
15."Peace" (Live at the Newport Jazz Festival (2016)Silver4:12
16."Don't Know Why" (Live at the Newport Jazz Festival (2016)Jesse Harris3:36
Total length:63:51

Personnel

Charts

Certifications and sales

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Austria (IFPI Austria)[81] Platinum 15,000*
France (SNEP)[82] Gold 50,000‡
Poland (ZPAV)[83] Platinum 20,000‡
Summaries
Worldwide — 600,000[84]

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Region Date Format(s) Label Ref.
Worldwide October 7, 2016
  • CD
  • digital download
  • LP
 Blue Note [85]
October 21, 2016 Streaming

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External links

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