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ESSENTIAL NEW MUSIC

Essential New Music: Norah Jones’ “Day Breaks”

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Try as she might—and she’s tried mighty hard—Norah Jones will forever be associated with tepid coffee-shop jazz, the sort of tasteful-yet-unobtrusive music that can soundtrack any supposedly classy experience. That’s because Come Away With Me, her 2002 debut, became ubiquitous in Starbucks, boutiques and parents’ CD changers. Don’t blame Jones, though: The album is excellent, and back then she was a 21-year-old who wasn’t trying to fit into a predetermined niche.

She’s since deliberately distanced herself from her piano-jazz roots and moved into guitar-based country and provocative pop—her last solo album was produced by Danger Mouse. Day Breaks, however, is a bona fide jazz album, with cameos from icons such as saxophonist Wayne Shorter, organ player Dr. Lonnie Smith and drummer Brian Blade and with covers of Horace Silver’s “Peace” (a highlight) and Duke Ellington’s “Fleurette Africaine” (and, uh, Neil Young’s “Don’t Be Denied”) alongside nine Jones originals. The focus is on Jones’ gentle piano playing and sultry vocals.

“Once I Had A Laugh” has a bit of Ray Charles swing to it; the title track is sparse and moody; “It’s A Wonderful Time For Love” is slow and sexy; “Carry On” is a soulful benediction. The album isn’t perfect: “Tragedy” is a repetitive vamp that never quite earns its emotion, and Shorter’s brilliant, complex solos risk stealing the scene (that’s a question of balance, however, not quality).

Fans and shopkeeps hoping for another Come Away With Me won’t be disappointed, but listen closely and Day Breaks doesn’t feel like Come Away With Me Again. It’s a darker, more nuanced album, and Jones, now 37, sings with more depth and soul than she did in her youth.

—Steve Klinge