I love Joy Williams. And those of you who already knew that would be surprised to hear that I was hesitant in buying her latest album, Genesis. It’s been 2 years of waiting…and althought I was excited for it, I was disappointed after listening to some of the teaser clips a while back. I wasn’t [...]
I love Joy Williams. And those of you who already knew that would be surprised to hear that I was hesitant in buying her latest album, Genesis. It’s been 2 years of waiting…and althought I was excited for it, I was disappointed after listening to some of the teaser clips a while back. I wasn’t sure if it was going to be as good. perhaps that’s what anticipation does. But after owning the album for a day (thanks to a Berean shopping excursion yesterday), I can tell you that it isn’t as good as I thought it would be.
It is better.
Joy brings a certain heart, maturity, and thoughtfulness to Genesis, her latest creative project. It’s been two years since By Surprise…and you can tell that some time went in to making it great. Everything I love about Joy is in this album…and more. You can tell she’s grown up a bit (although she’s was mature to begin with). Everything from her lyrics to her velvety voice is something new, yet something totally familiar.
Joy shows versatility that wasn’t as present in her other albums. We all know she can sing “poppy,” upbeat tunes…we all know she can sing ballads. But there’s oh-so-much more…and one track that has quickly become one of my favorites is Say Goodbye. Great lyrics and an edgier sound reminds me of…well, I could compare her with Kelly Clarkson’s newest or other female artists currently pulling off the same kind of sound, but to do so would be unfair; Joy Williams is in a totally different league. But again, the maturity definitely shows, in her technique and in her lyrics.
One of my favorite things about Joy Williams’ past albums was her ballads. She’s got a lot of soul and expressiveness in her voice, so much that she really doesn’t need accompaniment. Sometimes she gets buried under rhythm tracks or guitar…and her voice has enough depth and color to go it alone. The Love of the Lord Endures is a perfect example of this; and one of my favorites from By Surprise because of it’s thoughtful lyrics and its simplicity; it’s just Joy and a piano. Joy has put one “ballad” on each of her albums, which is unfortunate since these songs really highlight the best parts of her vocal talent. The track, I’m In Love With You, which obviously is inspired by her recent marriage to music exec. Nate Yetton last summer, is one such simple and reflective track from Genesis. I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it again…Nate is a lucky guy…it’s just a really neat song; it shows, lyrically and musically, that she’s grown up. Simply.
After listening, all I can say is that you can just hear something different. I’m not sure what it is, either. But despite an initial uncertainty, Genesis has quickly become one of my favorite albums. It’s been a great journey to see Joy grow up musically and this latest is an example a lot of work, thought, and time. It was worth the wait.
And for the record, I still love Joy. Looking forward to the next one.
Listen to some tracks and check out some fun stuff on Joy’s web site at JoyWilliams.com. Or click here to check out the music page.