Day Breaks

Day Breaks
Studio album by Norah Jones
Released	October 7, 2016
Recorded	2015[1]
Genre	Jazz, pop/rock[2]
Length	48:47
Label	Blue Note Records
Producer	Norah Jones, Eli Wolf, Sarah Oda
Norah Jones chronology
Foreverly (2013) Day Breaks (2016)
Singles from Day Breaks
"Carry On" Released: August 5, 2016 "Flipside" Released: November 28, 2016[3]

Day Breaks is the sixth solo studio album by American singer and songwriter Norah Jones, released on October 7, 2016, through Blue Note Records.^[4] 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.^[4] It peaked at number two on the US Billboard 200, becoming her sixth album to reach the top ten.^[5] 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.^[6] It charted successfully peaking within the top 5 of ten national charts.

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.^[7]

Writing and recording

Eight songs on the album are composed or co-written by Jones on piano, which is a return to the sound of her 2002 debut album, Come Away with Me.^[4] The album was co-produced by Jones and Eli Wolf and features drummer Brian Blade, organist Lonnie Smith and saxophonist Wayne Shorter.^[8][9] Jones explains the songs were composed by drawing on jazz music influences and were recorded live without any overdubbing.^[9][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. The album also includes "Sleeping Wild" written by Sarah Oda, who co-wrote three other tracks on the album and also co-produced it.^[4]

The album was released on October 7, 2016 and the first single was a song called "Day Breaks."^[4] Subsequent singles included the songs "Flipside" and "Tragedy."

Reception

Jones performed songs from Day Breaks on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon^[10] and The Today Show.^[11] She discussed the album on PBS's Tavis Smiley show on October 14, 2016.^[12]

Critical reviews

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
AnyDecentMusic?	7.1/10[13]
Metacritic	77/100[6]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[14]
The Arts Desk	[15]
The Buffalo News	[16]
Entertainment Weekly	A–[17]
Evening Standard	[18]
Exclaim!	8/10[19]
Mojo	[20]
Newsday	A[21]
The Sydney Morning Herald	[22]
Uncut	[23]

Day Breaks received mostly positive reviews 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 77 out of 100, which indicates "generally favorable reviews" based on 10 reviews.^[6]

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."^[14] Glenn Gamboa of Newsday rated the album an "A", calling it Jones' "latest masterpiece."^[21] Rating the album an "A-", Entertainment Weekly's Jim Farber writes of Jones: "Not since her entrancing debut has she sounded this engaged."^[17]

Charts

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.^[5] 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.^[5]

Accolades

Publication	Rank	List
Rolling Stone	46	50 Best Albums of 2016[24]

Track listing

Sources: iTunes^[25] and BMI.^[26]

Standard edition
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:			48:47

Target bonus tracks[27]
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:			63:51

Personnel

Credits adapted from AllMusic.^[28]

Musicians Norah Jones – electric guitar, Hammond B3, piano, vocals, Wurlitzer electric piano Vicente Archer – bass guitar Brian Blade – drums Jon Cowherd – Hammond B3 Sasha Dobson – background vocals Dave Eggar – cello Dave Guy – trumpet J. Walter Hawkes – trombone Dan Iead – pedal steel guitar Katie Kresek – violin Todd Low – viola Tony Maceli – bass guitar Leon Michels – tenor saxophone Max Moston – violin John Patitucci – bass guitar Catherine Popper – vocals Peter Remm – electric guitar, Hammond B3 Karriem Riggins – drums Daniel Sadownick – percussion Tony Scherr – electric guitar, background vocals Wayne Shorter – soprano saxophone Lonnie Smith – Hammond B3, background vocals Petter Ericson Stakee – background vocals Chris Thomas – acoustic bass, bass guitar, electric guitar

Technical personnel Norah Jones – producer Cameron Alexander – studio assistant Marcela Avelar – art direction Brandon Bost – studio assistant Greg Calbi – mastering Jeff Citron – studio assistant Danny Clinch – photography Dave Eggar – string arrangement Tom Elmhirst – mixing Phil Faconti – copyist, orchestration Owen Mulholland – assistant engineer Sarah Oda – producer Chuck Palmer – arranger, string conductor Adam Tilzer – studio assistant Ted Tuthill – engineer Joe Visciano – mixing assistant Eli Wolf – producer

Charts

Chart (2016)	Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[29]	4
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[30]	2
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[31]	3
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[32]	2
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[33]	6
Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[34]	10
Dutch Albums (MegaCharts)[35]	8
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[36]	34
French Albums (SNEP)[37]	4
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[38]	3
Greek Albums (IFPI Greece)[39]	14
Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ)[40]	35
Irish Albums (IRMA)[41]	18
Italian Albums (FIMI)[42]	7
Japan Weekly Albums (Oricon)[43]	4
Japan Top Jazz Albums Sales (Billboard)[44]	1
Japanese International Albums (Oricon)[45]	1
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[46]	2
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[47]	23
Polish Albums (ZPAV)[48]	8
Portuguese Albums (AFP)[49]	6
Scottish Albums (OCC)[50]	9
South Korean Albums (Gaon)[51]	17
South Korean Albums International (Gaon)[52]	1
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[53]	14
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[54]	12
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[55]	1
Taiwanese Albums (Five Music)[56]	2
UK Albums (OCC)[57]	9
US Billboard 200[58]	2
US Top Internet Albums (Billboard)[59]	3
US Top Jazz Albums (Billboard)[60]	1

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/Sales
Austria (IFPI Austria)[61]	Gold	7,500^*
^*sales figures based on certification alone

Release history

Region	Date	Format(s)	Label	Ref.
Worldwide	October 7, 2016	CD digital download LP	Blue Note Universal	[62]
	October 21, 2016	Streaming

References

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2. "Day Breaks - Norah Jones — Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved August 12, 2016.
3. http://www.allaccess.com/triple-a/future-releases
4. Kreps, Daniel (August 5, 2016). "Hear Norah Jones' 'Carry On,' First Single Off New LP 'Day Breaks'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved August 5, 2016.
5. Caulfield, Keith (October 16, 2016). "Green Day Earns Third No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 Chart With 'Revolution Radio'". Billboard. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
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External links

• Day Breaks at AllMusic
• Article in Entertainment Weekly