Vocalist Samara Joy burst into the public eye with her 2022 album Linger Awhile, taking home the Best New Artist award at the 2023 Grammys. A rarity for a jazz artist, the award served to underscore her deep artistry and strong grasp of the jazz tradition. On her first Christmas album, 2023s Joyful Holiday, she further illuminates that tradition, applying her warm style to a handful of holiday classics. Once again produced by Linger Awhiles Matt Peirson, the album also finds her re-teaming with her quartet, featuring guitarist Pasquale Grasso, pianist Ben Paterson, bassist David Wong, and drummer Kenny Washington. Also featured throughout is pianist Sullivan Fortner, whose nuanced and empathetic playing has made him a go-to accompanist for vocalists. Joy and her ensemble offer gorgeously rendered takes of the 1950s standard "Warm in December," "The Christmas Song," and "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas." She and Fortner also settle into a cozy duo version of "Twinkle Twinkle Little Me," a lesser performed, if no less enticing, ballad originally done by Stevie Wonder and the Supremes in the 60s. Central to the album is her rendition of "O Holy Night," which finds her coalescing her jazz and gospel roots. Along with Fortner on Hammond B-3 organ, the song features several of Joys own singing musical family, including her grandfather Elder Goldwire McLendon (former leader of the Savettes), her father Antonio McLendon (a noted singer and bassist), her uncle Laurone McLendon, and her cousins Tiera Lovell Rowe and Alana Alexander. Rich with vibrant vocal harmonies that reflect the love Joy has for her family, the song -- as with all of Joyful Holiday -- showcases just how virtuosic and steeped in experience she is as a singer. ~ Matt Collar

Rovi