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Ike's 'Good Morning' produces good results
Online editor
For her first full-length album, Pittsburgh performer Joy Ike chose the title "Good Morning."
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Joy has played locally the past two years at the Main Street Farmers' Market, an event that usually functions with each week's featured musicians as an aural backdrop to the proceedings.
But when Joy has performed, people have listened. And they've liked.
For those who hear Joy's soaring vocals and fluid keyboard playing, it may come as a surprise to learn she has been writing and performing only since 2005. In relatively short order, she has honed her stage presence to merit substantial attention from Western Pennsylvania's music aficionados.
"Good Morning" serves as a showcase for a dozen of her own compositions, many of which she has played to the accompaniment of her own keyboard while visiting Washington. On the album, she is complemented by strings and percussion, creating a variety textures to enhance her tuneful keyboard riffs.
Beyond the instrumentation, listen for her lyrics: Joy describes them as "addressing issues of social awareness, faith, loneliness and the complexity of relationships ... our human need for dependency and the growing obligation to realize that the world is bigger than our own individual problems."
Her song "Hey, Where Are the Kids?" is indicative of her commitment to social awareness, addressing the "vicious cycle" of the troubles that loom on the horizon as children near adulthood. The subject matter is suitably conveyed by a memorable minor-key melody.
Another highlight is "Hope," which wraps up the album with an air of cautious optimism. Joy answers lyrical questions like "How to forget all the things you've done when you're the only one who cares?" by assuring the listener: "There's always hope."
And hope always is a good direction for a "Good Morning."
A release performance for "Good Morning," featuring Joy Ike with full band, is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Saturday at the Borders EastSide, 5986 Penn Circle South. For more information, visit www.joyike.com.
