Joy Adams
(New Zealand)

Just A Matter Of Time
Website www.joyadams.co.nz/

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Joy Adams was born and raised in Taupo, New Zealand where she grew up listening to Connie Smith, Charley Pride and Hank Snow. In her early teens she joined the Taupo Country Music Club and learned to play the guitar as well as sing in public. She made a bit of a name for herself locally over the next few years but then gave up performing to raise her 2 children.
She came back to the scene in 1990.

Her first composition "Come Home Baby Darling" won the Auckland Country Music Songwriters Awards in June 1990 and went on to win Joy the coveted title of N.Z.C.M.A. Songwriter of the Year for 1990. After winning a succession of amateur awards for singing and songwriting throughout the early 1990s, Joy released her debut album in October 1992 which included several of her Award winning songs, featuring the title track "Come Home Baby Darling". To date, Joy has released five albums on the Peak Records Label, four of which feature self penned material.

Joy is highly sought after for Festivals, Awards and Showcases and performs regularly at R.S.A's, Workingmans Clubs and private functions around the country working with bands or on her own with high quality backing tracks.

Joy Adams was a new name to me, having never heard of her before I received this CD to review, but from the moment I placed the CD in the player, I was immediately struck by her very appealing voice......a sort of a cross between Ireland's Mary Duff and Ann Breen......and was very much looking forward to hearing and reviewing this, her latest (5th) album.

The album contains 12 tracks with a good mix of Country Music classic's and Original self penned material.

Original tracks on the album include the title track, "It's Just A Matter Of Time," a great song with a very catchy chorus that I am certain would do well if released as a single, while "If You Could See Me Now" is a wonderful song, that has her wishing late Father could see what she has achieved in her life. This is a song I am sure many people could relate to and is certainly a song that could interest the said M.D and A .B.

"I'd Be Lying If I Told You" is a song about the break up of a relationship that won her the M.L.T. Professional Songwriters Award in New Zealand in 1998, while "Joy's Yodel" a fun song taking us back to the days of the Yodelling cowboys......and Cowgirls of course, and "Best Mum In The World" are two of Joy's most popular songs with her live audiences, with the latter being a song that could prove very popular if released around Mothers Day. This is another that I could also hear Mary Duff or Ann Breen singing.

I also liked her rousing version of Buck Owens' "I Don't Care," definitely one of the best I've heard, while other covers on here include, "I'll Never Cheat On You," "California,""I Overlooked An Orchid," "Keep On Singing,""I'll Never Cheat On You" and a country version of The Bee Gee's "Sweetheart."

The lone Gospel track on the album is a cover of the Stuart Hamblin classic, "It Is No Secret."

There is absolutely no doubt that Joy Adams is a very talented lady in both the Vocal and Songwriting departments and I am sure that as the title suggests, it is 'Just a matter of time' before that talent is more well known around the world. In fact, she is already attracting much interest from Nashville, so maybe that time is not so far away.

If this sounds like your kind of Music, then do yourself a favour and get yourself a copy of this excellent CD. Details of how to obtain one can be found on Joy's Website.

Excellent!!!

I have since had the pleasure of listening and reviewing an earlier album from Joy, one that also shows the wonderful humerous side to this very talented lady, who incidentally, also presents a very good country music radio show in her native New Zealand and is soon to join the growing list of presenters with a programme on Dick Shuey's popular Twangtown USA.Com Web Radio.

"Solid Ground" is a 16 track album released back in 1995. The album contains 6 self penned songs from Joy, including two comedy songs, "The Snorer" and "One Size Fits All." The Snorer in particular is an excellent and very funny song about sleeping with someone who snores. I just love the line about sticking Vapour Rub up his nose, a line that Joy has since told me was absolutely true, she really did do that with her husband. She say's it didn't stop his snoring but she gained a great deal of satisfaction from it!!!

Other self penned material on here includes a story of unrequited love in "Best You Better Go," the bouncy "Still I Wonder," the title track, "Solid Ground" and "The Last Dance" a duet with New Zealands top male country vocalist John Grenell in 3/4 time.

Of the other tracks making up this album there's a very good version of top Nashville songwriter Terry Smiths "According To The Lie" as well as a cover of Billie Jo Spears "'57 Chevrolet." This latter 70s hit isn't just another cover though as it is given a new arrangement by Joy as she makes the song her own.

Another song that stands out for me is a geat version of "Silver Dew On The Bluegrass Tonight" a very catchy Western/Swing tune that is guaranteed to get the feet tapping.

With the yodelling on "Cowboy's Yodel" and the Gospel track, "This Little Light Of Mine," Joy caters for just about everybody on another fine album that deserves to be in every country music fans collection!

Get along to Joy's website and check out this very talented artist.
You'll be glad you did!!!

Website www.joyadams.co.nz/