The seventh solo LP by Norah Jones is a triumphant return to form, musically and emotionally

THE SEVENTH SOLO LP BY THE ACCLAIMED SINGERSONGWRITER IS A TRIUMPHANT RETURN TO FORM, MUSICALLY AND EMOTIONALLY

Does anyone recall the precise moment when jazz finally crossed over to mainstream pop? Here’s a hint if your memories prove a little hazy: “My heart is drenched in wine/ But you’ll be on my mind... Forever.” If that still doesn’t ring the bell, the iconic refrain actually comes from Don’t

Know Why, the lead single that appeared on Norah Jones’ breakthrough debut album, Come Away With Me.

Released in 2002, not only did the Diamond-certified release launch Jones’ career, it also made jazz accessible and more palatable to the general public. Jazz was indeed having a moment at the time. It was even considered cool, especially with young artists like English piano wunderkind Jamie Cullum hopping on board with his brand of edgy jazz-pop crossover. Today, even though the genre may appear to have been relegated back to its original niche audience, Jones remains a household name and a reliable bringer of uplifting melodies. Her latest output, Pick Me Up Off The

Floor, marks her seventh album proper and a sort of sequel to last year’s

Begin Again, which was essentially a compilation of singles and collaborations recorded during 2018 and 2019. Consisting of leftovers from those sessions, the fittingly titled LP highlights the singer-songwriter’s strengths in fusing after-hours jazz with pop, folk and blues. For a perfect example of this, look no further than the opening track How I

Weep, a soothing number detailing how loss can sometimes lead to a catharsis (“So I run and I run, and I run and I run/ But I’ve nowhere to go except into the sun”).

Besides loss, recurring themes like heartbreak and grief also play an integral part of the album. “Hey, hey, it’s gonna be okay/ At least that’s what I tell myself,” she earnestly offers on the country-tinged Heartbroken, Day After. Elsewhere, a series of three songs bearing similar titles, This Life, To Live and I’m Alive, makes for an evocative mid-album centrepiece where she arrives at the realisation that the best way to go about life is to embrace carpe diem —“To live in this moment/ And finally be free... No chains holding me/ If love is the answer/ In front of my face/ Then I’ll live in this moment/ And find my true place.”

Listen to this:

How I Weep, I’m Alive, Say No More, Stumble On My Way.