Skin is the debut album from Joy Crookes, the 23 year-old British-Irish-Bangladesh singer that has apparently been working on her musical ambitions since the tender age of 13.
My interest in Joy began from about 5/6 years ago when she signed with a manager who was showcasing her extraordinarily mature musicality and soulful vocals. It was clear that she had something extra that we perhaps hadn't seen since Amy Winehouse.
The comparisons to Amy are obvious, inevitable and understandable. Like Amy, Joy playfully celebrates her London roots and she has a love for music from an era gone by. Taking influences from the jazz and soul greats, her vocal tone and licks are reminiscent of jazz queens Ella and Billie.
Over the years, Joy has worked hard on her social media. She has a solid and strong connection with fans - often putting on free-gigs and even cooking for them.
It's refreshing to see someone who is not only young in age, but humble and incredibly hard-working in an industry that can often change people for the worse. She seems largely unaffected, incredibly grateful and almost shy about her achievements and the likelihood of approaching mega-stardom.
This album is testimony to years of slogging and is a beautiful collection of thoughtful ballads and soul beats, with a modern twist. She's got a good head on her shoulders. An activist, a poet with lyrics, showing strength and vulnerability in her work.
In past week, I've only read 4 and 5 star reviews and there seems to be a much-deserved growing interest in Joy and it's exciting to see her future musical offerings.
It's a powerful debut and one to watch. Click on the image below.
