UNSPOKEN  •  Joy Eden Harrison

This is my favorite record the last two weeks. I can't stop playing it, even though there's so much other stuff I have to listen to. Even made a tape for the car, didn't want to be without it, anywhere. That's spooky, when an artist you'd never heard of a couple of weeks ago is suddenly someone you can't do without. But that's what happened. I'm grateful to my friend Annie Gallup for turning me on to Joy's music. I checked back for Annie's email about Joy Eden Harrison, and now I know that she already knew what was going to happen to me. Don't scoff, it may well happen to you, too. Buy this record, and see.

Joy Eden Harrison's Unspoken is an intoxicating elixir of many rare and sacred elements. Inspired, thoroughly original jazz pop compositions played and sung startlingly well, lyrics generous in wisdom and revealing emotion, and dark humor. Spoken word over beautiful ambient backgrounds and timeless tracks. Cindy Lee Berryhill does a stunning production job, we'll have to find her records now. John Lee Erickson is a songwriter's dream on piano. All the players are fantastic—the record's flush with talent and ingenuity.

One weeds through so many mediocre or inconsistent records, and once in a blue moon, one like this pops up. It makes it all worthwhile. This artist should be known and played everywhere. What can I say, this record totally floored me. I was not prepared, and am still amazed by how great it is. Since I've raved like a madman for the whole review, you can find actual facts about Joy's interesting background and cinema-song success at her website. Me, I'm going there now to find her first release, Angel Town. But first, check out some of her clips on our listen page, and see what I'm raving about.       • FG

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