Day Breaks

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 (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.

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.

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 "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." 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."

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 (2013) and The Fall (2009), 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.

Personnel

Credits adapted from AllMusic.