Kelela Covers Joni Mitchell on ‘In The Blue Light’ Live Album Recorded at NYC’s Blue Note Jazz Club

After teasing a “new era” on Instagram last week (Jan. 25), Kelela kept the wait short and sweet, unveiling her latest project on Tuesday (Jan. 28).

Out Feb. 11, In The Blue Light is a live album capturing Kelela’s intimate, unplugged performances at New York City’s Blue Note jazz club. Last year (May 28-29, 2024), she made her Blue Note debut with a dazzling set of new arrangements that transformed wide-ranging selections from her genre-melding catalog. Several of those tracks appear on the new live album (her first), including a seductive reimagining of Joni Mitchell‘s “Furry Sings the Blues.” Crafted alongside bassist and producer Daniel Aged, In The Blue Light also features Alayna Rogers and Xenia Manasseh on background vocals.

“Better (Unplugged)” is the album’s first single, which cheekily opens with Kelela telling her listeners, “You better get your tissues.” The shimmering track is just one piece of a 12-song tracklist that includes deep cuts like “Cherry Coffee” and a cover of Betty Carter‘s “Love Notes.”

In the Blue Light arrives almost exactly one year after RAVE:N — a remix album that re-envisioned Raven tracks with the help of collaborators such as Shygirl, Rochelle Jordan and BbyMutha. Kelela dropped Raven, her sophomore studio album, to rave reviews from fans and critics alike in February 2023. The set reached No. 47 on Top Album Sales and made Billboard staff’s 2023 year-end lists of the best dance, R&B and Pride albums. In support of Raven, Kelela launched a tour that found her playing in major cities such as New York, Los Angeles, Toronto and London; the record served as the follow-up to her 2017 debut studio album, Take Me Apart, which hit No. 18 on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums.

Stream “Better (Unplugged)” below.