One of William's Days
Posted March 16, 2009
By Nathan,
‘It’s just been one of those days’; It’s been a lot of those days for fans of Joy Williams. Fans of the now independent pop singer haven’t had anything new to sing to for nearly four years (excluding ‘Any More Sure’ which was featured on the Best of Joy Williams) but her new EP, One of Those Days, could set the stage for her comeback.
After a few spins it’s hard to picture this Joy Williams putting out hits like “hide” and “we” with her soft pop tunes and natural sounding melodies which may signal a new direction for her music. For example the title track’s upbeat, piano driven, pop sound has a very mature contemporary sound mixed in, meeting Williams’s soft voice very well. “What can I do (but love you)” identifies more with adult contemporary genre than pop as natural piano beat leaves Williams sounding like Leigh Nash. The semi fast paced music doesn’t make the light pop music up tempo “charmed life” but the emotion filled song is heavily influenced by the brilliantly utilized piano and is thoroughly the gem of the album. The weakest song on the four song EP is “I’m going to break your heart” which is uneventful and the repetitive lyrics heavily hang on the music.
Joy William’s exodus from contemporary Christian music resulted partly because of limitations on songwriting. Williams says: ‘I connected with the most was honest and open and broken—and mostly written by the artists themselves’. The lyrics spiritually vague with the exception of “what can I do(but love you)” which takes a very cozy love approach with ‘Lord don’t you know that I love you… what could I do but love you’ and sating that she had someone to hold when it was cold. Williams comments on the stresses of life (‘it’s all going perfectly wrong’) articulating that it’s just “one of those days”, but “charmed life” at it’s core is an empty anthem which says nothing. The most distressing (or artistic depending on how you look at it) song on the album is “I’m going to break your heart” which almost nonchalantly states ‘Just so you know, I’m gonna make a mess’.
The one thing that’s really obvious is how much Joy Williams’s music has bloomed into maturity but at so brief a glimpse into her music it’s hard to tell if this is a definite style. The theme backstage though is the lyrics on One of Those Days EP and her attitude toward life and God. Surely Williams takes a positive outlook on her EP, but her journey to ‘discover a faith that is more my own’ should caution fans to await more lyrics before diving into her comeback. View All Music And Book Reviews By Nathan | View Nathan's Profile
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