Norah Jones returns to her roots in “Day Breaks”

Without forgetting what she learned along the way

For a multi-platinum artist, Norah Jones tends to fly under the radar. She took the adult contemporary music scene by storm in the early 00’s with Come Away with Me, the album that permeated every coffee shop in America. From there, she rejected the “jazz” label that was plastered on her and pursued a variety of sounds over her next few albums; the country-inspired records Feels Like Home and Not Too Late, followed by alt-pop inspired records The Fall and Little Broken Hearts. Though these records had different styles and instrumentation, her signature voice remained.

Now Jones returns with Day Breaks, an album many call her “return to Jazz”. In many ways, it is a return to what made her successful, a piano-driven, easy-going record sure to play in coffee shops around the world. What makes this album interesting is what she’s carried with her as she comes full circle.

Opening track “Burn” is the jazziest song she’s ever written. Complete with a smooth bass line and muted horns while she plays a driving piano arrangement, the track is sure to get your feet tapping, albeit slowly. While the album is toned down compared to her previous album produced by DJ Danger Mouse, those influences are not lost. The dark-pop tendencies come through in gems such as “Flipside” and the title track “Day Breaks”. Other tracks such as “And Then There Was You” and “Sleeping Wild” use jazz influences to add richness to her signature slow-burn style.

The best cases for her coming full circle are the joyous ballads “Once I Had a Laugh” and lead single “Carry On”. These tracks beg to be played on a rainy day while sipping a warm drink. The difference in Day Breaks is her ability to bring all her previous influences together into one cohesive album, shifting between styles and messages. The most impressive aspect of this album is Jones’ musical maturation, knowing when to pull back and when to make her voice the center of the song.

Another unique aspect of Jones is her ability to weave biting lyrical prowess into such pleasant melodic arrangements. In her previous album, the song “Miriam” was the most hauntingly obvious version of this. On Day Breaks, the song “Flipside” directly references the issues of police brutality currently going on in America.

I can’t stand when you tell me to get back
If we’re all free, then why does it seem we can’t just be?

You saw your reflection all over the news
Your temperature’s well past a hundred and two
Put the guns away, or we’ll all gonna lose

Jones doesn’t venture too deep, but her ability to weave strong statements into her otherwise restrained album shows a fiery willingness that wasn’t there on Come Away With Me. Ultimately, the most impressive aspect of Day Breaks is its musicality. The album begs a dedicated listen to appreciate the layers beneath the ever-soothing vocals and melodies.

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