Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Samara Joy: A Joyful Holiday

5

Samara Joy: A Joyful Holiday

By

View read count
Samara Joy: A Joyful Holiday
It's been a whirlwind 15 months for Samara Joy. After announcing she signed with Verve, her debut for the label, Linger Awhile (2022) was released to great acclaim. She was then nominated (and won) two Grammys for Best New Artist and Best Jazz Vocal. The success of that record was followed up with Linger Awhile Deluxe Edition (Verve, 2023) containing another album's worth of material. Joy has also put out a single, "Tight," where she pays tribute to Betty Carter and to close out the year, Joy has just released this Christmas EP, A Joyful Holiday.

It begins with two slightly lesser-known seasonal songs, "Warm In December," first recorded by Julie London in 1956 and "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Me" recorded by The Supremes in 1965 and Stevie Wonder a few years later. The former is a sultry performance beginning with just the piano and Joy before her rhythm section enters in a hopeful, joyful manner. The latter is a piano/vocal duo throughout with Sullivan Fortner sparkling with sensitive support. It is a slow, soulful reading of this Motown holiday tune where Joy gets to show us her smooth, graceful vocal ability to glide effortlessly through her extensive range while squeezing out every last note in service of the lyric.

This is followed by two Christmas classics, "The Christmas Song" and "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas." Both are performed with Joy's buttery, rich tone in a soft, sweet, thoughtful manner that allows her to caress the words with the sentiment of the season. The addition of her guitarist, Pasquale Grasso, on the latter track adds another dimension to the sound. Grasso's playing on Linger Awhile was noteworthy in adding a counterpoint to Joy's singing. Here, on his one guest spot, he does the same thing. The understanding they share in figuring out how to fill the space with each other is simpatico. Joy gets a moment at the end of the song where she shows off her range, gliding a few octaves, finally hitting a sustained note and lingering awhile (pun intended) on it as the tune ends.

It is the final two tracks where we see another side of Joy, one previously unheard. "O Holy Night" is done in a gospel choir manner. It features The McLendon Family on the choral vocals, comprised of her grandfather, Goldwire McLendon (who formed one of Philadelphia's most prominent gospel outfits, The Savettes), and her father, Antonio McLendon (who played bass and toured with gospel star Andrae Crouch). Her uncle and two cousins complete the five-person choir. A Hammond B-3 organ serves as the only accompaniment, furthering the gospel feel, providing the intro until Joy enters. Her grandfather soon joins in a duet before the entire clan comes together in a heavenly choir-like harmony. It is a stunning performance.

To close out the EP, another version of "The Christmas Song" is included, recorded live in December 2022 in Arlington, Massachusetts (see YouTube video below). It is a vocal duet with Joy's father and is performed with her touring trio of the time. Her father, Antonio, sings the first verse, showing off a remarkable voice in his own right. Joy then gets a verse, before she and her dad sing duo, moving back and forth with each other as the lyrics continue their joyous cheer. This celebratory duet between father and daughter is the highlight of the EP.

A Joyful Holiday is a welcome addition to the canon of Christmas jazz vocals, especially considering her gospel roots. The first four tracks remind one of all the things Joy has already shown she does magnificently. The final two tracks show something different and hint at some of the possible future directions open to her, in a musical world full of them.

Track Listing

Warm In December; Twinkle Twinkle Little Me; The Christmas Song; Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas; O Holy Night; The Christmas Song.

Personnel

Additional Instrumentation

Sullivan Fortner: organ (5); Antonio McLendon: vocal (5, 6); Goldwire McLendon: vocal (5); Laurone McLendon: bgv (5); Tiera Lovell Rowe: bgv (5); Alana Alexander: bgv (5); Shedrick Mitchell: piano (6); Eric Wheeler: bass (6); Charles Haynes: drums (6).

Album information

Title: A Joyful Holiday | Year Released: 2023 | Record Label: Verve Records

Tags

Comments


PREVIOUS / NEXT



Samara Joy Concerts

Sep 29 Mon
Oct 2 Thu
Oct 18 Sat
Samara Joy
Odeon Theatre
Hobart, Australia
Oct 24 Fri
Oct 26 Sun
Samara Joy
Hamer Hall
Melbourne, Australia

Support All About Jazz

Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

Lovely Day (s)
Roberto Magris
Blues For Peter
Rich Peare
Portrait of a Moment
Tommaso Perazzo Marcello Cardillo
The Ozark Concerto
Jake Hertzog

Popular

Newcomer
Emma Hedrick
Life Eats Life
Collin Sherman

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.

Install All About Jazz

iOS Instructions:

To install this app, follow these steps:

All About Jazz would like to send you notifications

Notifications include timely alerts to content of interest, such as articles, reviews, new features, and more. These can be configured in Settings.