In her second full-length album, Samara Joy showcases her masterful vocals in “Linger Awhile.”
Joy is a 22-year-old jazz vocalist who is new to the scene, releasing her first album only a year ago, yet listening to “Linger Awhile” gives a different impression. Joy’s warm and smooth tone tells a story of maturity and delicacy, features you would not expect of a vocalist who only picked up singing jazz four years ago.
The opening track, “Can’t Get Out of This Mood,” is a light, bouncy track, where Joy showcases her solid fundamentals, and precise articulation. The lighter rhythm section allows Joy to take up more space in the piece.
“Guess Who I Saw Today” is a soft, slow ballad, originally performed by Nancy Wilson, and Joy’s range and articulation cuts through and conveys the pain and the heartbreak of the storyteller. A woman seeing her lover with someone else on a day out, the pain is not just spelt out in the poetics of the lyrics, but in Joy’s runs, scoops, and wails.
“Nostalgia” is originally a trumpet piece performed by Fats Navarro, but for her album, Joy wrote lyrics over the original melody. In an interview with NPR’s Ari Shapiro, Joy speaks on her inspiration for the lyrics, “I was like, well, what if [Fats Navarro] was 60 or 70 years old and he was able to look at the person he loved and recall the day that they first met?” said Joy. The light melody couples well with the carefree nature of the lyrics to bring the song together in a way that feels almost nostalgic, as if someone close to you is telling a story of how they met their partner.
“Misty” is another ballad that allows Joy’s vocal technicality and warm tone to shine through clean dynamics, and intricate runs. The song is equal to the poetic and emotional nature of “Guess Who I Saw Today”, but it’s smoother and much more legato. Originally performed by Ella Fitzgerald, Joy speaks in her interview about wanting to pay homage to Fitzgerald’s performance. “It’s so beautiful and majestic. I was like, I have to do that. And I think I did. I think I recorded it like that.” said Joy.
“Social Call” is another light and fun song about reconnecting with a lover, hinting at a less accidental meeting than Joy would like to let on. This song is yet another show of Joy’s ability to not just keep up with a band and another soloist, but also get comfortable, perform and add to the piece.
The titular “Linger Awhile” is an upbeat, rhythm section heavy, piece that shows Joy can do it all while keeping up with a larger band sound. She is more than able to hold down the melody and throw in embellishments and options up with ease.
Overall, Joy provides an album with revamped, and potentially new, standards performed by a strong and talented vocalist. Joy is a force to be reckoned with in the jazz scene, and should be touted as such. At only 22 years old, she has a long career ahead of her, and fans should expect nothing but more greatness from Samara Joy.
Karl Surmanis can be reached at [email protected]