Joyful

( 4 )

Editorial Reviews

All Music Guide - Stewart Mason
Blending equal amounts of Sade's cocktail-lounge take on world music, Jill Scott's dignified neo-soul and Corinne Bailey Rae's sunny AAA pop, the debut album by German singer/songwriter Ayo sounds like it will be a mainstay in middle-of-the-road coffee houses for years to come. The daughter of a Roma gypsy mother and Nigerian father, Ayo Ogunmakin makes exactly the sort of polite, low-key, largely acoustic pop-soul that's a mainstay of a certain mature, well-heeled demographic; indeed, a live Ayo performance recorded in Monte Carlo was a popular PBS special in late 2007. But while all that implies a certain inoffensive blandness, Ayo's a genuinely talented ...
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More About This Product

Editorial Reviews

All Music Guide - Stewart Mason
Blending equal amounts of Sade's cocktail-lounge take on world music, Jill Scott's dignified neo-soul and Corinne Bailey Rae's sunny AAA pop, the debut album by German singer/songwriter Ayo sounds like it will be a mainstay in middle-of-the-road coffee houses for years to come. The daughter of a Roma gypsy mother and Nigerian father, Ayo Ogunmakin makes exactly the sort of polite, low-key, largely acoustic pop-soul that's a mainstay of a certain mature, well-heeled demographic; indeed, a live Ayo performance recorded in Monte Carlo was a popular PBS special in late 2007. But while all that implies a certain inoffensive blandness, Ayo's a genuinely talented singer/songwriter, with a malleable voice that swings easily from the helium-pitched wispiness of the gentle bossa nova "And It's Supposed to Be Love" through the Tracy Chapman-like murmur of "What Is Love?" to the assertive, soulful strength of "Letter by Letter." While there are occasional missteps like the utterly forgettable reggae cop "Only You," Ayo's songwriting is refreshingly free of the earnest self-importance of many similar artists, trafficking neither in exhibitionist emo-porn nor the sort of vague sub-Bob Marley moralizing that's the usual province of dreadlocked white guys in hemp shorts. Joyful may not be the most exciting debut of 2006, but it's a satisfying example of a subgenre that all too often goes wrong.
Vibe
...a gorgeous collection of billowy ballads
The Associated Press
...[Ayo's] earnest lyrics, raspy vocals and self-taught acoustic guitar playing have earned her comparisons to Tracy Chapman and Joan Armatrading...

...[Ayo's] earnest lyrics, raspy vocals and self-taught acoustic guitar playing have earned her comparisons to Tracy Chapman and Joan Armatrading...
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Product Details

  • Release Date: 11/28/2006
  • Label: Interscope Records
  • UPC: 602498404898
  • Catalog Number: 000903802
  • Sales rank: 57,626

Tracks

Disc 1
  1. 1 Down on My Knees (4:02)
  2. 2 Without You (3:58)
  3. 3 Letter by Letter (3:14)
  4. 4 How Many Times? (3:31)
  5. 5 And It's Supposed to Be Love (5:01)
  6. 6 Watching You (3:55)
  7. 7 Only You (3:55)
  8. 8 Help Is Coming (3:58)
  9. 9 These Days (4:49)
  10. 10 Life Is Real (4:49)
  11. 11 What Is Love? (4:28)
  12. 12 Neva Been (6:50)
  13. 13 [CD-Rom Track] - Carl Ayotte
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Album Credits

Performance Credits
Ayo Primary Artist
Larry Campbell Guitar, Mandolin, Steel Guitar
Brian Mitchell Bass, Harmonica, Piano, Accordion, Hammond Organ
Daniel Sadownick Percussion
James Wormworth Drums
Kyle Gordon Background Vocals
Brian John Mitchell Harmonica, Piano, Accordion, Hammond Organ, Bass Harmonica
Technical Credits
Abbey Lincoln Composer
Jay Newland Producer, Engineer
Mark Wilder Mastering
Andy Manganello Engineer
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Customer Reviews

Average Rating 3.5
( 4 )
Rating Distribution

5 Star

(0)

4 Star

(3)

3 Star

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2 Star

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1 Star

(1)

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Sort by: Showing all of 4 Customer Reviews

  • Anonymous

    Posted October 1, 2010

    Seems like I finnaly found Female Bob Marley....great

    She is great singer with beautiful and unique voices...sounds like reggae, but also with some jazz tune, with afro mussic style. i like it

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted October 29, 2008

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted October 23, 2008

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted October 23, 2008

    No text was provided for this review.

Sort by: Showing all of 4 Customer Reviews