DAY BREAKS

Norah Jones (Blue Note Records)

Nine-time Grammy winner Norah Jones returns to her jazz roots with this album that showcases her sweet-yet-sultry vocals and laid-back piano style. And while it can be a little melancholy at times, Day Breaks is another great collection of songs from the pianist-singer who has dabbled in country, folk, rock, blues, soul, and other genres after finding overnight fame in 2002 with her debut album, Come Away With Me, best known for mega-hit single “Don’t Know Why.” 

To nobody’s surprise, there are lots of slow, melodic rhythms on her latest disc — Jones isn’t exactly known for uptempo dance music — but there’s a lot of grace and maturity and more pure jazz than she’s done in a long time. 

Joining her on Day Breaks are legendary jazz saxman Wayne Shorter, organist Dr. Lonnie Smith, drummer Brian Blade, and others. 

Not that the overnight success Jones achieved 15 years ago is any kind of a fluke given all of her success and accolades. But this 12-song disc — nine originals and covers of Horace Silver, Duke Ellington, and Neil Young songs — solidifies her as a force to be reckoned with as a jazz diva/​pianist. 

Her resume is impeccable, including collaborations over the years with a diverse cast of artists that includes Willie Nelson, Herbie Hancock, Outkast, and Foo Fighters, as well as record sales in excess of 45 million. But since she moved from Texas to New York City in 1999, Jones, 37, has wanted to be a jazz singer. This album shows more of what she’s got specifically in that genre. After concerts in Detroit, Cleveland, and Columbus this month, she’ll spend June touring other parts of the United States before embarking on an extensive European tour.

— TOM HENRY,The Blade

FROM A ROOM: VOLUME 1

Chris Stapleton (Mercury Records)

Covering a song that Willie Nelson has already turned into a masterpiece might seem like a fool’s errand — unless you manage to make it your own.

Chris Stapleton does just that on “Last Thing I Needed, First Thing This Morning,” a song Nelson covered memorably more than three decades ago. In the process, Stapleton proves he belongs in any conversation about the best things that have happened in country music ever since.

Two years to the day after releasing the landmark Traveller album, Stapleton delivers From A Room, Volume 1, the first batch of songs recorded in Nashville’s legendary Studio A with red-hot producer Dave Cobb. It’s sure to solidify Stapleton’s status as one of the most authentic voices working in any genre.

Yet even as conventional wisdom crystallizes around Stapleton’s authenticity — a notion reinforced by the brutal honesty of “Either Way,” among other cuts — the transcendence of his singing can’t be missed.

Like a handful of great country vocalists — including those named Jones, Haggard, and Cash — Stapleton sounds like he downed a shot of whiskey before every song.

But when he leans into a build-up anthem called “I Was Wrong,” steadily pleading his way toward a higher register, Stapleton’s passion evokes the likes of Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett, and other blues, gospel, and soul legends.

Yes, that’s heady territory. But it’s also an indication that Stapleton is an artist with rare talent, still ascending.

— SCOTT STROUD,Associated Press

GUMBO

PJ Morton (Morton Records)

PJ Morton may be the keyboardist for pop-rock band Maroon 5, but he returns to his New Orleans musical roots on his new solo album.

Morton, who joined Adam Levine and friends in 2012, meshes an easy-flowing sound of contemporary soul with gospel elements on Gumbo. It’s a musical approach that works for Morton, whose father is Bishop Paul Morton, a Stellar Award winner and Grammy-nominated gospel artist.

Morton’s fourth offering is a short listen, lasting less than 30 minutes. But in nine tracks, he takes advantage of every last second, speaking on various topics, from love to religion.

On “Claustrophobic,” Morton sings and raps about being musically stifled after someone suggested they wanted to tinker with his sound because he wasn’t “mainstream enough.” With horns blaring, he answers with the follow-up track “Sticking to My Guns.”

Morton questions some people’s religious stance on “Religion,” singing: “But you blame God when it’s all your fault/​Where’s the love that your God spoke of?” He also sings about recapturing the first love-struck moment of initially meeting a potential mate on “First Began,” the first track on the album.

The rest of the tracks are just as enjoyable as Morton continues to raise his musical talents to another level.

— JONATHAN LANDRUM, JR.,Associated Press

First Published May 11, 2017, 4:00 a.m.