Joy Clark

Tell It to the Wind

Righteous Babe

Brandi Carlile, and to a slightly lesser extent, Allison Russell, have opened the doors for a number of singer-songwriters who grew up queer, some of whom are Black,  and some of whom are neither but lacked recognition and would not have got a break otherwise. They’ve done so without much bombast, more a warm, extended welcoming hand to join a community of kindred spirits.  Brandy Clark, who just won the Americana Music Award for Song of the Year for “Dear Insecurity” is thriving, Hurray For The Riff Raff, though not directly a beneficiary of either Carlile or Russell, is consistently selling out shows. They are just two examples. Let us toast the survivors and unheralded and welcome the newest name into this community, New Orlean-based singer-songwriter and guitarist Joy Clark. Clark, unabashedly grew up Black, queer, and southern. Eventually she earned a regular spot in Russell’s backing band, The Rainbow Coalition. Clark has also appeared on stage with Carlile and the Indigo Girls.  She also received significant attention from iconic indie singer and activist Ani DiFranco and now debuts on Franco’s label, Righteous Babe. Her producer is one of Clark’s heroes, Margaret Becker, who helped recruit musicians to record with Clark in New Orleans and Nashville. Not only that, Becker co-wrote six of the nine songs.

Maybe it’s because I am a horse owner and have lived with horses for the past nearly three decades now, but I couldn’t help but smile at the way Clark opens her enclosed booklet. “When I was a kid, I wanted three things: boots, guitar, and a horse.” She goes on to explain while playing a show at an 80-acre ranch in Holly Springs, MS, most of this dream came true. “While there I decided to walk down to the horses and sing them a song. As I was walking, the phrase, “Tell It to the wind” came to me. It felt mysterious. By the time I got to the horses, I had the melody and the chorus of what would become the title track of this very album.”

 Clark begins with “One Step in the Right Direction,” bringing a laid-back beat, and a hopeful vibe. Already it’s evident she knows how to craft an infectious chorus, in this case with three backing vocalists. On the single and accompanying video “Lesson” Clark pays to tribute to her inspiring grandmother who lived through the Civil Rights Movement and has instilled in Clark the values of both being grateful and being strong in her pursuit of freedom and the righteous path. She attests to this lesson in “All Behind,” bathed in piano, acoustic guitar, and the extra punch of Charlies Halloran’s trombone, strutting confidently as reflected in this verse – “Cause I got so much light to give/And you can’t take it anymore/I won’t drag your expectations/Get your hand out from the door.” She ups the ante further on the horn slathered, celebratory NOLA funk  infused anthem “Shine.”

The bumpy “These Are the Days” speaks to comfort and empathy to shield fear while “Shimmering” stresses the courage of convictions and perseverance. The slow pace and whispery vocals of “Watching You Sleep, while a little on the bland side, are commensurate with the title. Yet, Clark likens herself to a guest in the autobiographical song titled with that name, painting an effective picture of what it’s like to be an outsider – “Chasing my own life” to teeming keyboards of Becker and Lisa Coleman.  The closing title track puts to music some of those thoughts in those quotes in the second paragraph,  a little girl finding her way first as an adult overcoming the odds and as an artist meeting even more new challenges.

Clark delivers a album of gentle sonics that belies so many of her lyrics expressing or reaching for strength.  She will continue to be an important voice for survivors going forward, not to mention a natural gift for song, and especially memorable choruses.

– Jim Hynes

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