Introspection, political and social commentary in genre-bending cultural blend.
Anyone lucky enough to have caught one of Joy Oladokun’s shows will know what a force of nature she is. Her ability to communicate with a live audience is palpable, and her new release, Hope Is A Heavy Thing, represents Oladokun’s considerable powers of expression at their best. This is her sixth studio album since her début some ten years ago, each collection garnering more and more critical acclaim from within the music industry. Collaborations with such leaders in the country and Americana field as Dolly Parton, Chris Stapleton, Brandi Carlile and Jason Isbell are testament to her talent; while on the road, she has supported Isbell, John Mayer, Hozier and Tyler Childers.
Brought up in Arizona by Nigerian immigrant parents, Oladokun first moved to Los Angeles to pursue her musical career, then on to East Nashville where she has headlined at the Ryman Auditorium. She was inspired to take up guitar aged 10, after seeing a video of Tracy Chapman, and comparisons are frequently drawn between the two. Oladokun herself describes her musical development as rooted between the traditions of folk and Nigerian music, with Bob Marley and Dylan in there too.
Rolling Stone has described Oladokun as “Nashville’s most low-key revolutionary”, and her 2021 protest song i see america was a finalist for the Recording Academy’s Best Song for Social Change. There’s plenty more examples in the twelve songs here. Opening with Raised By The Radio, a song that appears to be a self-portrait, Oladokun deals with her own struggles to find her place in the world. The prayer-like Dear Maria opens to the sound of rain and contains the line that gives the album its title, aligning itself with “the losers, the bruised, the old and the useless”. There’s even a thinly-veiled reference to Elon Musk – “they’re playing god in space” – yet the overall mood is uplifting. It’s a paradox that typifies the skill with which Oladokun writes her words and music, keeping spirits up while describing “radiation in the air”.
The album was produced by Oladokun, with contributions from Nigerian producer Spellz, who brings a West African feel to tracks like Easy Company, while celebrated singer Adekunle Gold shares the vocals on Sage. The result is an album that is able to cross genres and blend cultures. Paul Simon did that with Graceland, and Oladokun cites him as one of her influences, though her heritage, of course, gives her a closer tie with the African continent. As a queer, Black musician, Oladokun confronts the problem of life in modern-day America, confronting themes of poverty, violence and the lost dream of a better society that ended at Woodstock in 1969. The song called TOGIAIM is an acronym for “The Only God in America is Money” and has the lines:
“Woodstock was just a fever dream
the garden’s gone
they sold it off for shares of Pepsi-Cola
And hydrogen bombs.”
The End Of The World takes up the baton and references Jimi Hendrix’s Woodstock appearance with an electric guitar playing the opening riff from the national anthem. Here, Oladokun doesn’t mince her words:
“So if you think I’m too loud
just tune on out of the sound
if you don’t think there’s a problem
you should open your eyes before you open your mouth.”
Contrasting with the political and social themes, there are love songs here too. Kind is a lovely major-to-minor ballad, while Don’t Call Me Baby! has a glorious retro feel, looking back to the early 1960’s and The Ronettes. There is so much to admire about Joy Oladokun’s music, her silky vocals and the conscience and commitment which she invests in her writing. Hope Is A Heavy Thing seems destined to continue her upward path.
