“Burn” starts up. There’s the trademark Robin Trower playing; only he bends a note like this. Then, about five seconds later, Sari Schorr starts singing. That incredible, rich, expressive voice.
That’s it, really. That’s “Joyful Sky” reviewed in 40 words.
Because if one of the best guitar players ever and one of the great modern voices float your boat – and let’s be honest, why wouldn’t they? Then the next 40 minutes have got you sorted. Trower, after all, always works with fantastic singers, and make no mistake, New Yorker Schorr is just that. In the accompanying notes for this, she says: “[my manager] told me to think about it, but before he was even finished with the sentence, I’d already committed to the project. It sounds like it was rewarding for both of them.
“I’ll Be Moving On” deals with blues standards of matters of the heart, but always with the caveat that when Schorr sings the words, it sounds like you do not want to be trifling with her, frankly. And let’s, for a minute, talk about the playing on “The Distance.” The guitar solo Trower plays here is ridiculous. Indeed, so expressive is the playing here that even on “Peace Of Mind,” it sounds like it’s the last thing they’d actually find.
On tracks like “Peace Of Mind” and “Change It,” the emotional depth of the music is palpable. The title track, “Joyful Sky,” maintains a poignant atmosphere that resonates with resilience amid sadness. “Need For You” brings a touch of soul and funk to the mix, especially in the bassline. “The Circle Is Complete” is the most well-complete song on here too, a massive epic-sounding piece, and the last solo Trower plays is right up there. It’s simply gorgeous.
“Flatter To Deceive” is a slight change of pace, but also just as acerbic as some of the others, as if scores are being settled here. It ends with the first song written for the project, “I Will Always Be Your Shelter,” the first one Schorr sang, a message of hope in the darkness – and this, for all its darkness, sounds wonderful, like a dark record. Maybe music is that shelter? Maybe that’s the point.
A touch one-paced, but it’s the feel that Trower clearly wanted. Things are noticeably more R&B and more like his older material than his more recent work – and it’s like I said at the start: “Joyful Sky” is exactly what was always going to happen when Robin met Sari, as it were, and it is gorgeously done.
Rating: 8/10
