Joyful

Ayo’s roots are as mixed as her musical style. She was born in Germany, of a Nigerian DJ father and a gypsy mother. In having lived all over the world she takes after her Bohemian mom. But as far as the musical influences go, she grew up with her dad’s many, many vinyl records.

The Bob Marley touch is immediately clear as the album opens but is soon replaced by touches of jazz and cabaret against Ayo’s wispy voice as the eclectic album unfolds.

But although Ayo’s name means joy in Yoruba, hence the title of her debut, 'Joyful' initially seems a misnomer since the lyrics of the first few songs are desperately sad. “There are […] days where I wish I would be dead,” she sings on ‘These days’. And on ‘Down On My Knees’ she begs for love and the sheer honesty of it cuts straight to the bone.

In fact all the lyrics feature a lot of extreme emotion, centring around the themes of finding love, losing love and learning to understand the joys and pains of different kinds of love.

As the album draws to a close, the sentiments become more positive before ending in the sweet love song ‘Neva Been’. The development of the album underlines her big African heart: a little girl overcomes heart wrenching and soul destroying experiences only to become stronger and better able to love in the end.

Ayo’s honest and heartfelt selection of songs have the same warm magic and vulnerability as that of Tracy Chapman and Neneh Cherry although Ayo’s voice and lyrics are much more gentle and frail. Her fragility reminds of Marilyn Monroe and has the same feminine charm.

If nothing else, ‘Joyful’ will move you. It's a bittersweet listen for moments of introspection and especially makes for great background music that can fill a room with an ambience that is both sad and joyful.