Album of the week: Venus by Joy Williams
A couple of weeks ago I got the debut solo album by ex Civil Wars member Joy Williams from the library. I have to admit it took a couple of listens for the album to grow on me because I had different expectations of the album. It did not take very long for Venus to gel with me and I found myself wanting to own a copy of the album. I eventually ended up buying my own copy of Venus for my CD collection.
I must confess I was expecting an album something in the vein of Barton Hallow (The Civil Wars' first album) but that was not the case here. I was pleasantly surprised by the album's diverse sounds which ranges from gospel to electropop. Having just read an interview Joy did back in June with the New York Times, I totally get why she chose to make an album with an array of diverse influences. She did not want to be pigeon-holed to one particular sound (i.e the folksy sounds of her former band). You can hear "Woman (Oh Mama)" has this funky rhythmn with Joy practically shouting out lyrics. It is a quirky, energetic track and totally different from what I am used to hearing from Joy. My favorite moments comes when Joy turns things down a few notches like "What A Good Woman Does", "You Loved Me", and "Welcome Home". I love the intimate vibe those songs possesses.
The album is short yet sweet. The lyrics are deeply personal, a reflection of her time with The Civil Wars. The music nothing short of beautiful. Venus is this week's pick for Album Of The Week.
I must confess I was expecting an album something in the vein of Barton Hallow (The Civil Wars' first album) but that was not the case here. I was pleasantly surprised by the album's diverse sounds which ranges from gospel to electropop. Having just read an interview Joy did back in June with the New York Times, I totally get why she chose to make an album with an array of diverse influences. She did not want to be pigeon-holed to one particular sound (i.e the folksy sounds of her former band). You can hear "Woman (Oh Mama)" has this funky rhythmn with Joy practically shouting out lyrics. It is a quirky, energetic track and totally different from what I am used to hearing from Joy. My favorite moments comes when Joy turns things down a few notches like "What A Good Woman Does", "You Loved Me", and "Welcome Home". I love the intimate vibe those songs possesses.
The album is short yet sweet. The lyrics are deeply personal, a reflection of her time with The Civil Wars. The music nothing short of beautiful. Venus is this week's pick for Album Of The Week.
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