Customer Reviews

J is for Joy

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"J Is For Joy" is a follow-up to John Fluker's #1 instrumental album, "The Sound of Peace," and is quite different from his debut. Half vocal and half instrumental, Fluker has converted five classic Christmas hymns to a jazz/pop/hip hop/gospel hybrid, showcasing four of them in both vocal and instrumental arrangements, and introducing an original piece that could easily become a classic in its own right. Gladys Knight's musical director, Fluker has a broad variety of musical styles that he works with effortlessly and effectively, creating music that is energizing, soothing, and uplifting. More commercial than "The Sound of Peace," I would expect "J Is For Joy" to receive vast radio airplay during this holiday season, and should bring Fluker a whole new set of fans.

The first six tracks are the vocal selections, beginning with a jazzy "O Come All Ye Faithful." Other than sax and guitar, Fluker performs all of the instruments and vocals, becoming his own band and back-up group! He does get some really nice piano licks in there in the middle, and even sounds a bit like Stevie Wonder. "Follow The Brightest Star" was composed by Fluker and Melissa Vardey, and features Vardey on clavinet. A sweet and soulful ballad, it is sure to become a hit with choirs and vocal ensembles. "We Three Kings" is slow and backed only by minimal keyboards and a simple rhythm track, relying on Fluker's strong and passionate vocals to ably carry the piece. "Away In a Manger" is a gentle, loving lullaby. "Joy to the World" picks up the tempo and features vocals by Florence LaRue of The Fifth Dimension - perky, joyful, and contemporary. "Silent Night" is subtly orchestrated, and Fluker's vocal styling brings it right into the 21st century. It's no surprise that I like the four instrumental tracks best. They are almost the same as the vocal arrangements, with piano or keyboard picking up the melodies. The backing vocals remain in most cases, making these tracks very suitable for someone else to sing to, or just to enjoy for themselves - soulful arrangements of Christmas classics about the birth of Jesus. "Joy to the World" is the only one of the traditional pieces not given both vocal and instrumental treatments. I love the instrumental version of "Silent Night, " a poignant and beautiful way to end the CD.

For new and fresh arrangements of Christmas favorites, "J Is For Joy" is sure to become a favorite for years to come. Cheers!

Pianist and singer John Fluker embraces the idea of Christmas on this CD. While many artists select non-denominational seasonal tunes to broaden their possible audience, Fluker picks all songs that reflect Jesus' birth.

John chose to sing five traditional tunes about the first Christmas - "Oh Come All Ye Faithful," "We Three Kings," "Away in a Manger," "Joy To The World" and "Silent Night" - but fits them with new arrangements like they have never been heard before. "There was no point recording these standards unless I could bring something fresh and different to them," he explains. "I enjoyed the freedom of embellishing them my own way and using elements of pop, R&B and jazz." The upbeat "Joy To The World" is a duet between John and Florence LaRue of the group 5th Dimension (they have 20 Top-40 hits and six GRAMMY Awards). Fluker does a slow, peaceful version of the classic song "Away in a Manger." The other full-vocal piece is the original "Follow The Brightest Star" which asks "Why can't we have the Christmas spirit all year long?"

Fluker's soft-pop/R&B vocals show his influences -- years of performing at church as well as backing top singers such as Gladys Knight, Dionne Warwick, Oleta Adams, Boys II Men, Queen Latifah and Regina Belle.

Fluker made big waves with his previous recording, THE SOUND OF PEACE, which spent two months in the #1 position on the national New Age Reporter Top 100 radio airplay chart. That contemporary-instrumental debut album spotlighted his piano-playing and composing. Now he is showing a whole other side of his musical personality by showcasing his singing talents on J IS FOR JOY. On a couple of the classic carols his singing has a similar vocal quality to mid-period Stevie Wonder.

Two things make this recording unique - his unusual arrangements and the way he splits the music between vocal songs and mostly-instrumental tunes. But he does both styles well and it makes for a delightful holiday album.

Played it over and over and over! I LOVE JOHN's talent, voice and ability to croon away all of the stress of the day! BUY THIS ONE IN A HURRY!