But fans who follow her on social media, where she’s discussed mental health struggles, will sense she’s writing more out of her own life again with “Nervous Breakdown.” The title sounds like it could be a last, harrowing straw, but it’s actually a track that breaks the noble mood as a purely fun, semi-comical jazz shuffle that delves into high anxiety over the ironic comfort of a cabaret-style stand-up-bass-and-piano combo. “I’m having a nervous breakdown / Just me myself and I / You, you’re not invited!” she warns, through what sure sounds like a smile.
But of course, “Good Grief” is an invitation, to commiserate and put a dent in the cycles of misery — be they related to death, love or America, even — through the sharing of voices, starting with Bareilles’ sweetly uplifting guide vocal. And all that, as someone once said, baked in a beautiful pie.
