Joyce Elaine Yuille - Welcome to My World (2015)

Joyce grew up in the East Harlem section of Manhattan, better known as Spanish Harlem or El Barrio. She decided to focus on something distinct after many years of “live” performances in Europe... A tangible yet multifaceted project: the album you have before you.

“When you perform youʼre giving a lot of emotion, youʼre giving a lot of energy, but once the concert is finished, I feel it’s important that people can still connect with you, the music
and what they felt while they watched you and listened to you perform live. You know? The whole thing with me as a performer, is I want to leave a good and lasting impression on people”.

“Welcome To My World” represents a transition for Joyce: whereas for some musicians the recording studio is a safe haven, for others it may represent an intimidating environment: with her debut album, Joyce embraces a new challenge that is able to carry forth her stage energy and perfectly recreates in the studio that strong “live” element which characterizes her performance. As she explains, “When Iʼm recording, I basically try to put myself in a scenario where Iʼm doing a live show and that helps me overcome the fear of being in the studio and making mistakes, because when youʼre doing live, you just go, youʼve got to do it, you got to sing, you know, whatever is going on inside you, you just have to bring that out and I try to do the same thing, while Iʼm in the studio”.

As you listen to her warm vocals throughout the album, which include a slight hint of soulful prowess, thereʼs no fear that cannot be overcome. Her heartfelt interpretations welcome us into her world, where an intricate and honed voice texture reveals her incredible qualities as an interpreter. Nuances of Jazz, Soul, Swing, Blues: “Welcome To My World” is Joyceʼs gift to us – for the fortunate ones who have had the pleasure of hearing her live it would be effortless to recognize her warm timbre and equally warm heart – this album is concrete proof of her talent and personality.

Joyce co‐wrote most of the songs on the album, original compositions and her lyrics that reveal her profound nature through music – “I wrote a number of songs that kind of reflect my life situation, situations in my friends lives, world events, situations I see daily, maybe just walking down the streets.” Songs like “Late I Rise”, a tune that speaks about perseverance and staying positive, or “Come With Me (The Ride Is Free)”, where she urges us to forsake our biases, to refuse to partake in prejudices and judgement and just enjoy our time on earth, respecting others and ourselves. “A Time For Love Again”, composed by Marco Bianchi with Joyce’s lyrical skills, is another example of how this album goes beyond music and expresses a powerful and strong message: with this song Joyce speaks about disillusionment in love, telling us how thereʼs no sense in closing ourselves in a shell and giving into the fear of feeling and the ability to love again. We can all love again, reach out to others and feel amorous again. The album also includes some stand out covers, classics such as Marvin Gayeʼs “Itʼs Madness” and Donny Hathawayʼs “Trying Times”.

The album features the renowned and astounding Finnish sax player Timo Lassy and his band – musicians who are amongst some of the best Jazz players on the international jazz scene. Timo and his guys bring that extra something, a subtlety with a powerful impact and a groove that was needed to fulfill the dream and the vision of Joyce Elaine Yuille. Joyce has excitedly stated, “these guys are wickedly fantastic, I keep telling everyone, donʼt close your eyes on Finnish Jazz scene, because these guys are really kicking major ”! She smiles...

Tracklist:
01. Joyce Elaine Yuille - Follow the Sun (3:29)
02. Joyce Elaine Yuille - Come with Me (4:08)
03. Joyce Elaine Yuille - Too Soon You're Old (6:38)
04. Joyce Elaine Yuille - Late I Rise (5:12)
05. Joyce Elaine Yuille - Tryin' Times (5:23)
06. Joyce Elaine Yuille - Just Say Goodbye (3:25)
07. Joyce Elaine Yuille - It's Madness (3:32)
08. Joyce Elaine Yuille - Chaos (6:13)
09. Joyce Elaine Yuille - Running for My Love (3:55)
10. Joyce Elaine Yuille - Time to Love Again (4:55)
11. Joyce Elaine Yuille - Welcome to My World (5:19)
12. Joyce Elaine Yuille - Make Right (4:32)
13. Joyce Elaine Yuille - Parallel World Moon Interlude (1:43)
14. Joyce Elaine Yuille - Come with Me (Slow Version) (4:19)