Unlimited Streaming
Listen to this album in high quality now on our apps
Start my trial period and start listening to this albumEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
SubscribeEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
Digital Download
Purchase and download this album in a wide variety of formats depending on your needs.
Blending equal amounts of Sade's cocktail-lounge take on world music, Jill Scott's dignified neo-soul and Corinne Bailey Rae's sunny AAA pop, the debut album by German singer/songwriter Ayo sounds like it will be a mainstay in middle-of-the-road coffee houses for years to come. The daughter of a Roma gypsy mother and Nigerian father, Ayo Ogunmakin makes exactly the sort of polite, low-key, largely acoustic pop-soul that's a mainstay of a certain mature, well-heeled demographic; indeed, a live Ayo performance recorded in Monte Carlo was a popular PBS special in late 2007. But while all that implies a certain inoffensive blandness, Ayo's a genuinely talented singer/songwriter, with a malleable voice that swings easily from the helium-pitched wispiness of the gentle bossa nova "And It's Supposed to Be Love" through the Tracy Chapman-like murmur of "What Is Love?" to the assertive, soulful strength of "Letter by Letter." While there are occasional missteps like the utterly forgettable reggae cop "Only You," Ayo's songwriting is refreshingly free of the earnest self-importance of many similar artists, trafficking neither in exhibitionist emo-porn nor the sort of vague sub-Bob Marley moralizing that's the usual province of dreadlocked white guys in hemp shorts. Joyful may not be the most exciting debut of 2006, but it's a satisfying example of a subgenre that all too often goes wrong.
© Stewart Mason /TiVo
You are currently listening to samples.
Listen to over 100 million songs with an unlimited streaming plan.
Listen to this playlist and more than 100 million songs with our unlimited streaming plans.
From kr133.33/month
Joy Ogunmakin, Author - Ayo, Interprète Vocal, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - George Brenner, Composer
℗ 2006 Mercury Music Group
Larry Campbell, Interprète Instrumental, AssociatedPerformer - Joy Ogunmakin, Composer, Author - Jay Newland, Producer - Danny Sadownick, Interprète Instrumental, AssociatedPerformer - Ayo, Interprète Instrumental, Interprète Vocal, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - James Wormworth, Interprète Instrumental, AssociatedPerformer - Keith Christopher, Interprète Instrumental, AssociatedPerformer - Brian Mitchell, Interprète Instrumental, AssociatedPerformer - Kyle Gordon, Chorus, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 2006 Mercury Music Group
Larry Campbell, Interprète Instrumental, AssociatedPerformer - Joy Ogunmakin, Composer, Author - Jay Newland, Producer - Danny Sadownick, Interprète Instrumental, AssociatedPerformer - Ayo, Interprète Instrumental, Interprète Vocal, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - James Wormworth, Interprète Instrumental, AssociatedPerformer - Keith Christopher, Interprète Instrumental, AssociatedPerformer - Brian Mitchell, Interprète Instrumental, AssociatedPerformer - Kyle Gordon, Chorus, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 2006 Mercury Music Group
Larry Campbell, Interprète Instrumental, AssociatedPerformer - Joy Ogunmakin, Composer, Author - Jay Newland, Producer - Danny Sadownick, Interprète Instrumental, AssociatedPerformer - Ayo, Interprète Instrumental, Interprète Vocal, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - James Wormworth, Interprète Instrumental, AssociatedPerformer - Keith Christopher, Interprète Instrumental, AssociatedPerformer - Brian Mitchell, Interprète Instrumental, AssociatedPerformer - Kyle Gordon, Chorus, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 2006 Mercury Music Group
Larry Campbell, Interprète Instrumental, AssociatedPerformer - Jay Newland, Producer - Danny Sadownick, Interprète Instrumental, AssociatedPerformer - Ayo, Interprète Instrumental, Interprète Vocal, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - James Wormworth, Interprète Instrumental, AssociatedPerformer - Keith Christopher, Interprète Instrumental, AssociatedPerformer - Brian Mitchell, Interprète Instrumental, AssociatedPerformer - A Lincoln, ComposerLyricist - Kyle Gordon, Chorus, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 2006 Mercury Music Group
Larry Campbell, Interprète Instrumental, AssociatedPerformer - Joy Ogunmakin, Composer, Author - Jay Newland, Producer - Danny Sadownick, Interprète Instrumental, AssociatedPerformer - Ayo, Interprète Instrumental, Interprète Vocal, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - James Wormworth, Interprète Instrumental, AssociatedPerformer - Keith Christopher, Interprète Instrumental, AssociatedPerformer - Brian Mitchell, Interprète Instrumental, AssociatedPerformer - Kyle Gordon, Chorus, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 2006 Mercury Music Group
Larry Campbell, Interprète Instrumental, AssociatedPerformer - Joy Ogunmakin, Composer, Author - Jay Newland, Producer - Danny Sadownick, Interprète Instrumental, AssociatedPerformer - Ayo, Interprète Instrumental, Interprète Vocal, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - James Wormworth, Interprète Instrumental, AssociatedPerformer - Keith Christopher, Interprète Instrumental, AssociatedPerformer - Brian Mitchell, Interprète Instrumental, AssociatedPerformer - Kyle Gordon, Chorus, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 2006 Mercury Music Group
Larry Campbell, Interprète Instrumental, AssociatedPerformer - Joy Ogunmakin, Composer, Author - Jay Newland, Producer - Danny Sadownick, Interprète Instrumental, AssociatedPerformer - Ayo, Interprète Instrumental, Interprète Vocal, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - James Wormworth, Interprète Instrumental, AssociatedPerformer - Keith Christopher, Interprète Instrumental, AssociatedPerformer - Brian Mitchell, Interprète Instrumental, AssociatedPerformer - Kyle Gordon, Chorus, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 2006 Mercury Music Group
Larry Campbell, Interprète Instrumental, AssociatedPerformer - Joy Ogunmakin, Composer, Author - Jay Newland, Producer - Danny Sadownick, Interprète Instrumental, AssociatedPerformer - Ayo, Interprète Instrumental, Interprète Vocal, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - James Wormworth, Interprète Instrumental, AssociatedPerformer - Keith Christopher, Interprète Instrumental, AssociatedPerformer - Brian Mitchell, Interprète Instrumental, AssociatedPerformer - Kyle Gordon, Chorus, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 2006 Mercury Music Group
Larry Campbell, Interprète Instrumental, AssociatedPerformer - Joy Ogunmakin, Composer, Author - Jay Newland, Producer - Danny Sadownick, Interprète Instrumental, AssociatedPerformer - Ayo, Interprète Instrumental, Interprète Vocal, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - James Wormworth, Interprète Instrumental, AssociatedPerformer - Keith Christopher, Interprète Instrumental, AssociatedPerformer - Brian Mitchell, Interprète Instrumental, AssociatedPerformer - Kyle Gordon, Chorus, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 2006 Mercury Music Group
Larry Campbell, Interprète Instrumental, AssociatedPerformer - Joy Ogunmakin, Composer, Author - Jay Newland, Producer - Danny Sadownick, Interprète Instrumental, AssociatedPerformer - Ayo, Interprète Instrumental, Interprète Vocal, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - James Wormworth, Interprète Instrumental, AssociatedPerformer - Keith Christopher, Interprète Instrumental, AssociatedPerformer - Brian Mitchell, Interprète Instrumental, AssociatedPerformer - Kyle Gordon, Chorus, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 2006 Mercury Music Group
Larry Campbell, Interprète Instrumental, AssociatedPerformer - Joy Ogunmakin, Composer, Author - Jay Newland, Producer - Danny Sadownick, Interprète Instrumental, AssociatedPerformer - Ayo, Interprète Instrumental, Interprète Vocal, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - James Wormworth, Interprète Instrumental, AssociatedPerformer - Keith Christopher, Interprète Instrumental, AssociatedPerformer - Brian Mitchell, Interprète Instrumental, AssociatedPerformer - Kyle Gordon, Chorus, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 2006 Mercury Music Group
Album review
Blending equal amounts of Sade's cocktail-lounge take on world music, Jill Scott's dignified neo-soul and Corinne Bailey Rae's sunny AAA pop, the debut album by German singer/songwriter Ayo sounds like it will be a mainstay in middle-of-the-road coffee houses for years to come. The daughter of a Roma gypsy mother and Nigerian father, Ayo Ogunmakin makes exactly the sort of polite, low-key, largely acoustic pop-soul that's a mainstay of a certain mature, well-heeled demographic; indeed, a live Ayo performance recorded in Monte Carlo was a popular PBS special in late 2007. But while all that implies a certain inoffensive blandness, Ayo's a genuinely talented singer/songwriter, with a malleable voice that swings easily from the helium-pitched wispiness of the gentle bossa nova "And It's Supposed to Be Love" through the Tracy Chapman-like murmur of "What Is Love?" to the assertive, soulful strength of "Letter by Letter." While there are occasional missteps like the utterly forgettable reggae cop "Only You," Ayo's songwriting is refreshingly free of the earnest self-importance of many similar artists, trafficking neither in exhibitionist emo-porn nor the sort of vague sub-Bob Marley moralizing that's the usual province of dreadlocked white guys in hemp shorts. Joyful may not be the most exciting debut of 2006, but it's a satisfying example of a subgenre that all too often goes wrong.
© Stewart Mason /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 12 track(s)
- Total length: 00:49:31
- Main artists: Ayo
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: Universal Music Division Mercury Records
- Genre: Soul/Funk/R&B Soul
© 2006 Mercury Music Group ℗ 2006 Mercury Music Group
Improve album information
Why buy on Qobuz...
-
Stream or download your music
Buy an album or an individual track. Or listen to our entire catalogue with our high-quality unlimited streaming subscriptions.
-
Zero DRM
The downloaded files belong to you, without any usage limit. You can download them as many times as you like.
-
Choose the format best suited for you
Download your purchases in a wide variety of formats (FLAC, ALAC, WAV, AIFF...) depending on your needs.
-
Listen to your purchases on our apps
Download the Qobuz apps for smartphones, tablets and computers, and listen to your purchases wherever you go.