Day Breaks


Day Breaks is the sixth solo studio album by American singer-songwriter Norah Jones, released on October 7, 2016, through Blue Note Records. The album features nine original songs and three covers. Jones returned to a piano-driven sound as heard on releases early in her career. It peaked at number two on the US Billboard 200, becoming her sixth album to reach the top ten. 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. 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.

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. The album was co-produced by Jones and Eli Wolf and features drummer Brian Blade, organist Lonnie Smith and saxophonist Wayne Shorter. Jones explains the songs were composed by drawing on jazz music influences and were recorded live without any overdubbing.
There are three cover songs on Day Breaks: "Peace", by Horace Silver, "Fleurette Africaine ", 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.
The album was released on October 7, 2016 and the first single was the title song, "Day Breaks". Subsequent singles included the songs "Flipside" and "Tragedy".

Promotion

Jones performed songs from Day Breaks on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and The Today Show. She discussed the album on PBS's Tavis Smiley show on October 14, 2016. 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

Day Breaks received an average score of 77/100 from 10 reviews on Metacritic, indicating "generally favorable reviews." Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic rated the album four out of five stars and wrote that: Glenn Gamboa of Newsday rated the album an "A", calling it Jones' "latest masterpiece." Rating the album an "A-", Entertainment Weekly's Jim Farber writes of Jones: "Not since her entrancing debut has she sounded this engaged."

Accolades

Commercial performance

Day Breaks debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200, 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. It was a considerable drop from her previous efforts, Little Broken Hearts and The Fall, which opened to sales of 110,000 and 180,000 units, respectively. The album debuted at number one on the US Jazz Albums chart, making it Jones' second album to reach number one.

Track listing

Personnel

Musicians
;plus on tracks 5, 7 and 10
plus on tracks 6 and 9
;On bonus tracks 13 and 16
;On bonus tracks 14, 15
Technical

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Chart Position
Australian Jazz & Blues Albums 3
Belgian Albums 186
US Top Jazz Albums 1

Chart Position
Australian Jazz & Blues Albums 9

Chart Position
Australian Jazz & Blues Albums 28

Certifications and sales

Release history