Albums to watch

JOY’ALL

Jenny Lewis

JOY’ALL

Fifth solo album of indie rock / alt.country from the former Rilo Kiley singer-songwriter

ADM rating[?]

7.6

Label
EMI
UK Release date
09/06/2023
US Release date
09/06/2023
  1. 9.0 |   All Music

    Throughout the record, Lewis makes a conscious decision to embrace joy, not sorrow, which means hints of melancholy are resolved within a verse and ballads aren't quite forlorn. Mostly, it means that Joy'All hums to a rhythm that's happy, if not quite beatific: Lewis bears her sorrows and scars proudly, which makes the sepia-toned positivity of the album feel earned
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  2. 8.6 |   Northern Transmissions

    This record holds up, and there is not a dud in the bunch. It is almost miraculous, the way that she melds intelligent and chic poetry with her sweet and savory music. This will for certain be some people’s favorite record of 2023, soundtracking their lives full of loss and lust and love, like hers. It’s a great record
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  3. 8.0 |   DIY

    A choppy but accomplished foray into Nashville’s wide range of sounds, continuing Jenny’s legacy as a standout musician skirting along the edge of the mainstream
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  4. 8.0 |   NME

    Inspired by a pandemic songwriting challenge set by Beck, Lewis' fifth solo LP sees her come to the conclusion that joy is paramount
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  5. 8.0 |   Uncut

    Highlights include the distinctly Davis-ish "Apples And Oranges", the spectral soul of "Giddy Up", and the country trundle of "A Puppy & A truck". Print edition only

  6. 8.0 |   Rolling Stone

    The sound of a woman who has accepted herself — her past and her present — and now just wants to cut loose. Her broken heart still bears bruises, but it has healed enough to keep her moving. When life hands Lewis lemons now, she makes Lynchburg lemonade
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  7. 8.0 |   Clash

    Her first since 2019’s ‘On The Line’, ‘Joy’All’ finds Jenny Lewis chasing her instincts, working with light and energy. On the closer, she warns “if it ain’t right it’s wrong…” – on ‘Joy’All’ everything feel’s right
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  8. 8.0 |   musicOMH

    Former Rilo Kiley singer’s fifth album is the sound of a woman fearlessly grappling with middle age and dealing with all it has to throw at her
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  9. 8.0 |   PopMatters

    Jenny Lewis has never sounded like she’s had more fun making music than she does on Joy’all. It’s haunting, inspiring, and uniquely complicated
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  10. 8.0 |   The Skinny

    On her fifth record, Jenny Lewis decamps to Nashville and makes a stately record worthy of the city's heritage
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  11. 7.5 |   Spectrum Culture

    Five albums in, singing songs that are hers alone, Lewis realizes that what makes life worth living is deciding to be happy
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  12. 7.0 |   Slant Magazine

    Throughout, Lewis grapples with the quirks and perils of relationships with humor and honesty
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  13. 7.0 |   Loud And Quiet

    If there are moments that slip close to cliché, such as the break on ‘Love Feel’ and the ’60s girl-group spoken word introduction to ‘Chain of Tears’, then it’s done with knowing intention
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  14. 6.7 |   Pitchfork

    The veteran singer-songwriter takes inspiration from classic country on an album full of barbed wit and insight, but the music could use more of the genre’s bite
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  15. 6.4 |   Beats Per Minute

    All in all, Lewis has earned her place in the stratosphere, and if she wants to chill out and have fun, that’s all perfectly great
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  16. 6.0 |   Mojo

    At times, her fluency leaves you wishing for a smudge or run that hasn't been place deliberately, but from the Tom Petty love-the-one-you're-with of Apples And Oranges to Cherry Baby's soft-focus disco, Lewis is a smart, fluent builder of her world. Print edition only


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