Understanding More Than Language

Joy Denalane - Maureen

Neo soul sung old style, German chanteuse Joy Denalane has the tone of Diana Ross but with a gutsier style. This album, originally released in Joy’s native language, is now sung in English – should of never done that to me from Should Have Never demonstrating that she has captured soul’s street grammar at the very least [one reviewer wrote that she sings in Shakespeare’s language which wasn’t, I don’t think, being ironic or jocular] - and will/should bring her to a wider audience. Still I’m A Woman is a fine example of her strong voice ably supported by 70s style orchestration and backing vocals - and there is a sweet cover of Heatwave’s Happiness Togetherness - but the album isn’t mere homage to the past and has its more contemporary soul sound, for example Picture Me with its gentle bump and grind rhythms [I know that makes it sound like the 90s....]. Steppin Up stamps its 80s credentials with a liberal application of the LinnDrum machine or similar. So, eclectic soul is probably the best tag if it needs one, but it certainly never sounds badly dated and is a strong, enjoyable listen across a fulsome thirteen tracks.

There’s a cutesy story behind the album’s title – I don’t think it’s PR – that Maureen is Joy’s middle name, given by her father because it’s the name of the love of his life, not his wife nor Joy’s mother, and speaking of Joy’s mother who is apparently more than happy with the reasons behind the naming, she clearly demonstrates a considerable amount of Verstehen....!