Joy Crookes - Juniper

‘Juniper’ is an album borne of one of the toughest times Joy Crookes has ever experienced. Falling in love whilst also falling into an anxious spiral that threatened to ruin all she’d worked for, it is a record with identity embedded into its fabric and explored with Joy’s now trademark delicate yet hard-hitting style.

Sonically and vocally, you’d never know that Joy was going through one of the most unsteady times of her life. Her forthright delivery on delectably domineering ‘Pass the Salt (ft. Vince Staples)’ represents a woman reborn and ready, underlined by unbelievably catchy soulful pop tune ‘Perfect Crime’ and the rich, deep palette of jazz-slash-RnB anthem ‘Mathematics (ft. Kano)’ which allows Joy’s vocal to soar. Meanwhile, explosive brass sections on ‘I Know You’d Kill’ and the hazy, syncopated rhythm of ‘Paris’ transport you to a sleek, smoke-filled jazz club where Joy holds all the cards and owns every inch of the room.

Elsewhere, her softer, more vulnerable side shines through. Whether it’s in the pleading frustration of Western beauty double standards in ‘Carmen’, or in the swirling, off-kilter album opener ‘Brave’, Joy reinforces her ability to show the nuanced and often unsettling nature of simply being human. Equally, ‘First Last Dance’ sees her eyes full of stars as love fills her heart, while ‘Mother’ powerfully paints a picture of someone determined to rise above generational trauma. She’s never been afraid of feeling, no matter how scary it might seem, and she’s commanding that steely, resolute conviction with untold ease.

Joy’s debut album, ‘Skin’, was so good that it won her a Mercury Prize nomination. Somehow, though, ‘Juniper’ might be an even better record, cementing Joy Crookes as one of the world’s most prodigious talents.