With a commanding voice that is vulnerable, yet fearless, Joy reveals her authentic and passionate spiritual journey…communicating hope with struggle, faith despite fear, without propaganda. Musically, it is reminiscent of singer/songwriters like Kendall Payne and K.T. Tunstall.
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Solid introspective debut| Posted October 17, 2008 Joy Whitlock the newest artist with Ardent Records, home of Skillet and Todd Agnew, has a great story to tell. Joy is a folk-style singer-songwriter similar to KT Tunstall, Kendall Payne and Jennifer Knapp. If every flock needed a black sheep, Joy readily filled that role maybe too eagerly seeking to numb a pain that could only be healed by the One who created her. ?I tried to fill the emptiness I felt with anything that numbed or felt like love ? drugs? promiscuity? the usual stuff.? She looks back with regret now at the pain she caused her mother and father as well as the embarrassment she subjected them to with her actions, a theme she touches on in the standout track Faith Don?t Fail based on Luke 22:31-32. The scene Joy so vividly recounts is from Mel Gibson?s ?The Passion of the Christ?. It?s not exactly a movie you look forward to seeing. But I went and accepted Jesus that night.?
God And A Girl is a great title for this solid introspective debut album. Joy really invites you into her life and expresses her struggles in a bare honesty that is refreshing. Some great examples are the opening track Cost Of Being Free, Don't Look Down-which to me resembles the great alternative rock singer Aimee Mann, the first single Holding Onto Me, Behind The Scenes and another standout track is the rocker Not Through With You, which to me resembled a rock track like Bring Me To Life by Evanescence. If you like introspective songs and alternative rock singer-songwriters Plumb, Alanis Morissette, KT Tunstall and if you are looking for CCM's next Jennifer Knapp, look no further than Joy Whitlock.
Joy Whitlock [God and a Girl]| Posted November 13, 2008 [MAIN REVIEW]
We’re introduced to Joy Whitlock through her new album and debut, God and a Girl. While Joy is a newcomer, she has a story to tell and for her that starts in a movie theater. She was an unbeliever until she saw “The Passion of the Christ”, where then and there she gave her life to the Lord. This leads us up to today to a Christian album featuring her musical styles of choice: folk, indie, and rock.
This album was a lot different than what I thought it was going to be, but as I listened there were a few songs that stood out to me. “Testify”; “Faith Don’t Fail”; and ‘Holding On To Me”.
“Testify” aka the plaintiff’s prayer is a song that you could see being used in a trial of the court, as it is an argument of your sins, which Christ died for. You can see yourself arguing about why you should have another chance as it says, “‘Cause I'm still here / And I'm still me / But tomorrow's not certain / I'll make one last plea.”
“Faith Don’t Fail” is a song based upon scripture out of the Bible, found in Luke 22:31-32 which says, “And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.”. Even though you are changed, do not stay the same. Strengthen your brothers, for you must have faith and believe to see any change in your loved ones. For faith the size of a mustard seed can move mountains.
“Holding On To Me” says, “Life pushes out/ It pulls me in/ The ride is wilder than the wind/ Why would I worry when/ You’re holding on to me.” You see through all your struggles, trials, and temptations, you are still in the hands of God.
CLOSING THOUGHTS
Joy Whitlock is an inspiration to me and others. For a woman empty and lost, then found and filled, is a testimony in itself. To turn around and sign and produce music that can one day fill and save a dying generation is remarkable, not just her but all artists who devote their life and work to the Lord.
This is a decent album as it does have a lot of material that someone may need to hear.
GIRL WITH GUITAR PROVIDES INSPIRING SOUNDTRACK OF STRUGGLE| Posted September 29, 2008
Christian music can be guilty of sugarcoating reality to make songs safer for radio playlists and setting up a façade that living a life under the Lord is nothing but roses. Though singer/songwriter Joy Whitlock is certainly thankful that being a believer helps her navigate through choppy waters, she’s more interested in expressing that unbreakable faith from the perspective of personal struggle (which she candidly admits ranged from drugs to promiscuity in her pre-salvation days).
It’s no wonder then that the rootsy guitar prods of “Faith Don’t Fail” appear to come from such an authentic place, with Whitlock leaning firmly on those beliefs to resist temptations and negativity. The mighty organic strums and pleading vocals of “Testify” key into specific moments of falling away, but point to Jesus’ ultimate grace to cover over our many offenses. The brooding swirls of “Fake” find the newcomer turning in her most passionate performance, concurrently dispelling the idea of letting guilt get the best of anyone.
Despite citing Sarah McLachlan as an influence, the likeness shows up more readily in her songwriting (such as the highly heartfelt “Holding Onto Me”) than from a stylistic perspective. Rather, Whitlock could be compared to secular duo Tegan and Sara, the retired but not forgotten Jennifer Knapp, a more aggressive Adie or even fellow freshman Brooke Barrettsmith. But no matter what the make-up, God and a Girl is best viewed as a candid conversation between the artist and her Creator that’s likely to find an applicable place with the public at large. –Andy Argyrakis
This review has been reprinted on NRT with permission from CCMMagazine.com. Click here to visit CCMMagazine.com today!
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