Day Breaks
Day Breaks | ||||
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Studio album by Norah Jones | ||||
Released | October 7, 2016 | |||
Recorded | 2015[1] | |||
Genre | Jazz, pop/rock[2] | |||
Length | 48:47 | |||
Label | Blue Note | |||
Norah Jones chronology | ||||
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Singles from Day Breaks | ||||
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Day Breaks is the sixth solo studio album by American singer and songwriter Norah Jones, released on October 7, 2016, through Blue Note Records.[3] The album, which features nine new songs and three covers, sees Jones return 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 critical acclaim from music critics, with many praising the album's production and Jones' vocals and also comparing it favorably to her debut album, 2002's Come Away with Me.[5]
Contents
Background and recording[edit]
In November 2015 while on a brief US tour, Jones confirmed that she had finished "a big chunk" of recording for her sixth studio album and that it was "coming soon."[6] On March 1, 2016, Jones announced on social media that she was almost finished with her new album.[7] On August 5, 2016, Jones announced the October 7, 2016 release date and title for the album, Day Breaks.[3]
Jones composed the nine original songs from Day Breaks on piano, which is a return to her roots and the sound of her 2002 debut album, Come Away with Me. "This new album feels full circle because I'm going back to my early influences," says Jones. "After the first record, I drifted away from the piano a little bit. I still played it, but was more inspired to write on guitar. I really loved playing piano on this record."[3] With the help of co-producer Eli Wolf, Jones enlisted renown jazz musicians such as drummer Brian Blade, organist Lonnie Smith and saxophonist Wayne Shorter for recording the album.[8][9] Blade previously worked with Jones on her debut, Come Away with Me.[9] Having just had a baby and a piano in her kitchen, Jones wrote much of the album during late-night sessions at the piano while drawing influence from a wide range of jazz music. "I was listening to a lot of organ trio stuff, soul jazz from the 60s, and listening to the Les McCann version of "Compared to What" a ton," says Jones.[9] In an interview with Billboard, Jones states, "The goal was to do everything live, get really good takes...When you have great musicians there’s no reason to overdub."[1]
There are three cover songs on Day Breaks: "Peace", originally performed by Horace Silver, "Fleurette Africaine (African Flower)", originally performed by Duke Ellington and "Don't Be Denied", originally performed by Neil Young.[3]
Singles[edit]
On August 5, 2016, Day Breaks' lead single, "Carry On", was released to digital outlets.[3]
Promotional singles[edit]
On September 9, 2016, "Flipside" was released as the first promotional single to digital outlets.[10]
On September 30, 2016, "Tragedy" was released as the second promotional single to digital outlets.[11]
Promotion[edit]
In support of the album, Jones is scheduled to tour portions of North America and Europe throughout late 2016.[12]
Promotional appearances in the media included a performance of "Flipside" on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on October 5, 2016,[13] and "Carry On" on The Today Show on October 10, 2016.[14] Jones is scheduled to appear on PBS's Tavis Smiley show on October 14, 2016.[15]
Release[edit]
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.[16] Target's exclusive edition of the album contains four additional live songs.[17]
Critical reception[edit]
Professional ratings | |
---|---|
Aggregate scores | |
Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 81/100[5] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Arts Desk | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Buffalo News | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Entertainment Weekly | A–[21] |
Evening Standard | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Exclaim! | 8/10[23] |
Mojo | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Newsday | A[25] |
The Sydney Morning Herald | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Uncut | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Day Breaks received acclaim from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has an average score of 81 out of 100, which indicates "universal acclaim" based on 7 reviews.[5]
Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic rated the album four out of five stars and states: "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."[18] Glenn Gamboa of Newsday rated the album an "A", calling it Jones' "latest masterpiece."[25] Rating the album an "A-", Entertainment Weekly's Jim Farber writes of Jones: "Not since her entrancing debut has she sounded this engaged."[21]
Commercial performance[edit]
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.[4] The album debuted at number one on the US Jazz Albums chart, making it Jones' second album to reach number one, after 2002's Come Away with Me spent 115 nonconsecutive weeks at the top spot.[4]
Track listing[edit]
Sources: iTunes[28] and BMI.[29]
Standard edition | |||
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No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
1. | "Burn" | Norah Jones, Sarah Oda | 4:38 |
2. | "Tragedy" | Jones, Oda | 4:14 |
3. | "Flipside" | Jones, Peter Remm | 3:41 |
4. | "It's a Wonderful Time for Love" | Jones, Oda | 3:53 |
5. | "And Then There Was You" | Jones, Remm | 3:05 |
6. | "Don't Be Denied" | Neil Young | 5:36 |
7. | "Day Breaks" | Jones, Remm | 3:57 |
8. | "Peace" | Horace Silver | 5:15 |
9. | "Once I Had a Laugh" | Jones | 3:12 |
10. | "Sleeping Wild" | Oda | 3:07 |
11. | "Carry On" | Jones | 2:48 |
12. | "Fleurette Africaine (African Flower)" | Duke Ellington | 5:21 |
Total length:
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48:47 |
Target bonus tracks[30] | |||
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No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
13. | "Carry On" (Live at the Flynn Center for the Performing Arts (Burlington, VT, 2016) | Jones | 2:37 |
14. | "Flipside" (Live at the Newport Jazz Festival (2016) | Jones, Remm | 4:39 |
15. | "Peace" (Live at the Newport Jazz Festival (2016) | Silver | 4:12 |
16. | "Don't Know Why" (Live at the Newport Jazz Festival (2016) | Jesse Harris | 3:36 |
Total length:
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63:51 |
Personnel[edit]
Credits adapted from AllMusic.[31]
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Charts[edit]
Chart (2016) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australian Albums (ARIA)[32] | 4 |
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[33] | 3 |
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[34] | 2 |
Dutch Albums (MegaCharts)[35] | 8 |
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[36] | 34 |
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[37] [38] |
3 |
Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ)[39] | 35 |
Irish Albums (IRMA)[40] | 18 |
Italian Albums (FIMI)[41] | 7 |
Japan Weekly Albums (Oricon)[42] | 4 |
Japan Top Jazz Albums Sales (Billboard)[43] | 1 |
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[44] | 2 |
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[45] | 23 |
Scottish Albums (OCC)[46] | 9 |
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[47] | 12 |
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[48] [49] |
1 |
Taiwanese Albums (Five Music)[50] | 2 |
UK Albums (OCC)[51] | 9 |
US Billboard 200[52] [4] |
2 |
US Top Jazz Albums (Billboard)[53] [4] |
1 |
Release history[edit]
Region | Date | Format(s) | Label | Ref. |
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Worldwide | October 7, 2016 | Blue Note | [54] |
References[edit]
- ^ a b Ray, Leigh Belz (September 29, 2016). "Norah Jones Gets Candid About Married Life & Making Her New Album". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved September 30, 2016.
- ^ "Day Breaks - Norah Jones — Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved August 12, 2016.
- ^ a b c d e f Kreps, Daniel (August 5, 2016). "Hear Norah Jones' 'Carry On,' First Single Off New LP 'Day Breaks'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved August 5, 2016.
- ^ a b c d e Caulfield, Keith (October 16, 2016). "Green Day Earns Third No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 Chart With 'Revolution Radio'". Billboard. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
- ^ a b c "Reviews for Day Breaks by Norah Jones". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved October 11, 2016.
- ^ Leimkuehler, Matthew (November 3, 2015). "Norah Jones plays Capitol Theatre this weekend". The Journal News. George Troyano. Retrieved November 3, 2015.
- ^ "Norah Jones on Facebook". Facebook. March 1, 2016. Retrieved March 28, 2016.
- ^ Ayers, Mike (August 5, 2016). "Norah Jones Returns to Piano Roots on New Album 'Day Breaks'". The Wall Street Journal. News Corp. Retrieved August 6, 2016.
- ^ a b c "Norah Jones: Day Breaks World Tour". aladdin-theater.com. Retrieved August 7, 2016.
- ^ "Flipside: Norah Jones: Music". Amazon.com. ASIN B01JD24U2O. Retrieved September 10, 2016.
- ^ "Tragedy: Norah Jones: Music". Amazon.com. ASIN B01JD24AEC. Retrieved September 30, 2016.
- ^ Goodman, Jessica (August 5, 2016). "Norah Jones announces new album, premieres first song 'Carry On'". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved August 5, 2016.
- ^ Cantor, Brian (October 5, 2016). "Norah Jones Performs "Flipside" On Jimmy Fallon's "Tonight Show"". Headline Planet. Retrieved October 6, 2016.
- ^ "Norah Jones performs 'Carry On' live on TODAY". The Today Show. October 10, 2016. Retrieved October 10, 2016.
- ^ "Singer-songwriter Norah Jones - Tavis Smiley - PBS". PBS. Retrieved October 11, 2016.
- ^ "Norah Jones - Day Breaks Album - Norah Jones Store". norahjones.shopfirebrand.com. Retrieved August 6, 2016.
- ^ "Norah Jones - Day Breaks (Target Exclusive)". Target. Retrieved August 6, 2016.
- ^ a b Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Day Breaks - Norah Jones — Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved October 6, 2016.
- ^ Quinn, Peter (October 5, 2016). "Norah Jones - Day Breaks". The Arts Desk. Retrieved October 5, 2016.
- ^ Simon, Jeff (September 29, 2016). "Norah Jones comes on strong with 'Day Breaks'". The Buffalo News. Berkshire Hathaway. Retrieved September 30, 2016.
- ^ a b Farber, Jim (October 7, 2016). "Norah Jones' Day Breaks: EW Review". Entertainment Weekly. Time Inc. Retrieved October 7, 2016.
- ^ Cornwell, Jane (October 7, 2016). "Norah Jones - Day Breaks review: 'A new penchant for honeyed humming'". Evening Standard. Retrieved October 8, 2016.
- ^ Patrick, Ryan B. (October 5, 2016). "Norah Jones - Day Breaks". Exclaim!. Ian Danzig. Retrieved October 6, 2016.
- ^ "Review: Day Breaks". Mojo. London: 90. November 2016.
- ^ a b Gamboa, Glenn (October 5, 2016). "'Day Breaks' review: Norah Jones' latest masterpiece". Newsday. Retrieved October 6, 2016.
- ^ Zuel, Bernard (October 2, 2016). "Norah Jones: Day Breaks review – a quality return to her jazzy beginnings". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. Retrieved October 2, 2016.
- ^ "Review: Day Breaks". Uncut. London: 31. November 2016.
- ^ "Day Breaks by Norah Jones on iTunes". iTunes. Retrieved August 5, 2016.
- ^ BMI Repertoire Search for Norah Jones
- ^ "Norah Jones - Day Breaks (Target Exclusive)". Target. Retrieved September 8, 2016.
- ^ "Day Breaks - Norah Jones - Credits - AllMusic". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved October 2, 2016.
- ^ "ARIA Australian Top 50 Albums". Australian Recording Industry Association. October 17, 2016. Retrieved October 15, 2016.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – Norah Jones – Day Breaks" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 14, 2016.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – Norah Jones – Day Breaks" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 14, 2016.
- ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Norah Jones – Day Breaks" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 14, 2016.
- ^ "Norah Jones: Day Breaks" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved October 16, 2016.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Norah Jones – Day Breaks" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved October 15, 2016.
- ^ http://www.ultratop.be/nl/album/4c069/Norah-Jones-Day-Breaks
- ^ "Top 40 album DVD és válogatáslemez-lista – 2016. 40. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved October 14, 2016.
- ^ "GFK Chart-Track Albums: Week 41, 2016". Chart-Track. IRMA. Retrieved October 14, 2016.
- ^ "Album – Classifica settimanale WK 41 (dal 2016-10-07 al 2016-10-13)" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved October 15, 2016.
- ^ "Oricon Weekly Albums" (in Japanese). Oricon Japan. October 17, 2016. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
- ^ "Billboard Japan Top Jazz Albums Sales" (in Japanese). Billboard Japan. October 17, 2016. Retrieved October 10, 2016.
- ^ "NZ Top 40 Albums Chart". Recorded Music NZ. October 17, 2016. Retrieved October 14, 2016.
- ^ "VG-lista - Topp 40 Album uke 41, 2016". VG-lista. Retrieved October 15, 2016.
- ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 15, 2016.
- ^ "Sverigetopplistan - Sveriges Officiella Topplista". Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved October 14, 2016. Click on "Veckans albumlista".
- ^ "Swisscharts.com – Norah Jones – Day Breaks". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
- ^ http://hitparade.ch/charts/number-1/2016
- ^ "第41 週 統計時間:2016/10/7 - 2016/10/14" (in Chinese). Five-Music. Archived from the original on October 14, 2016. Retrieved October 14, 2016.
- ^ "Norah Jones | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart Retrieved October 15, 2016.
- ^ "Norah Jones – Chart history" Billboard 200 for Norah Jones. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
- ^ "Norah Jones – Chart history" Billboard Top Jazz Albums for Norah Jones. Retrieved October 16, 2016.
- ^ "Norah Jones: Day Breaks: Music". Amazon.com. ASIN B01J81LH4E. Retrieved August 5, 2016.