DON JOY & MELANIE LYNN
He Looked Down From The Cross
He Looked Down From The Cross – From The
Depths Of My Heart – What I Can’t See – I Owe You One – I’m Just Resting
Up – Weeds In The Masters Garden – He Does Me Nothing But Good – He
Rescued Me – Mama – Legacy of Love – That’s How God Forgives – When You
Reach Beyond The Clouds
Depths Of My Heart – What I Can’t See – I Owe You One – I’m Just Resting
Up – Weeds In The Masters Garden – He Does Me Nothing But Good – He
Rescued Me – Mama – Legacy of Love – That’s How God Forgives – When You
Reach Beyond The Clouds
If I didn’t know better, I’d believe the same musicians Don
Joy and Melanie Lynn used on their first Nashville session a “Wade
Jackson Tribute,” are the same ones on this session. The songwriters
are different on this one though, a totally different listening
experience for the many fans of Don Joy and Melanie Lynn. Don Joy has a
very sensitive rural sound in his voice. For real country music that
has to be the case. Melanie sweetens it with some wonderful harmony as
well as lead singing. Going from hearing her sing “Grand Ole Opry In
Heaven” written by Wade Jackson, to a CD completely filled with lovely
Christian gospel songs is quite a treat. I really liked the way this
duet changed a very bluegrass song by the Isaacs into a wonderful
‘country’ song, mandolin and all. That’s really where the two genres
are surviving. Bluegrass is very much like the original hill music, the
rural music of America, and the ‘real’ classic country of artists like
Don Joy and Melanie Lynn keep that spark alive in the way and manner in
which they devote themselves to the music they truly love. Quite
frankly I hope this couple do not become too famous. If they do, I fear
they will abandon this wonderful sound they have right now. Don has
complete control of his voice, as does Melanie, and together they have
created a wonderful Midwest sound we’ve been missing for far too long.
There’s a photo of this couple, in the album notes, walking through an
obvious Missouri wooded forest, Don holding his beautiful acoustic
guitar and Melanie smiling the answer to his question, ‘do you wanna
sing a country song?’ This couple is not married, but Mrs. Joy is a
strong part of and supporter of what their music is doing. Both Don and
Melanie have promised to be at the 41st annual National Old Time
Country Music Festival in LeMars, Iowa Aug 29-Sept 4, 2016, and
hopefully with their very close and dear friend, Wade Jackson. I
sincerely hope that comes to pass, what a beautiful show we would have
with this trio together with some of our great pickers. I hope for some
of the readers of Country Music News International, especially the disc
jockeys in Europe who still play ‘real’ country music that they make an
attempt to correspond with this great couple, get a couple of their
CD’s, and give their listeners a real treat of incredibly gifted ‘real’
classic country music of today. Don’s voice and control stands out
strongly on “Weeds In The Master’s Garden,” and it’s absolutely
beautiful. Maybe the fact that Don is a Missouri farmer has something
to do with that. And no wonder, it’s takes a farmer to understand real
‘country’ music. I was a farmer growing up too, and love to give Don a
hard time, but he’s ‘true’ country, and that makes him a gentleman.
Joy and Melanie Lynn used on their first Nashville session a “Wade
Jackson Tribute,” are the same ones on this session. The songwriters
are different on this one though, a totally different listening
experience for the many fans of Don Joy and Melanie Lynn. Don Joy has a
very sensitive rural sound in his voice. For real country music that
has to be the case. Melanie sweetens it with some wonderful harmony as
well as lead singing. Going from hearing her sing “Grand Ole Opry In
Heaven” written by Wade Jackson, to a CD completely filled with lovely
Christian gospel songs is quite a treat. I really liked the way this
duet changed a very bluegrass song by the Isaacs into a wonderful
‘country’ song, mandolin and all. That’s really where the two genres
are surviving. Bluegrass is very much like the original hill music, the
rural music of America, and the ‘real’ classic country of artists like
Don Joy and Melanie Lynn keep that spark alive in the way and manner in
which they devote themselves to the music they truly love. Quite
frankly I hope this couple do not become too famous. If they do, I fear
they will abandon this wonderful sound they have right now. Don has
complete control of his voice, as does Melanie, and together they have
created a wonderful Midwest sound we’ve been missing for far too long.
There’s a photo of this couple, in the album notes, walking through an
obvious Missouri wooded forest, Don holding his beautiful acoustic
guitar and Melanie smiling the answer to his question, ‘do you wanna
sing a country song?’ This couple is not married, but Mrs. Joy is a
strong part of and supporter of what their music is doing. Both Don and
Melanie have promised to be at the 41st annual National Old Time
Country Music Festival in LeMars, Iowa Aug 29-Sept 4, 2016, and
hopefully with their very close and dear friend, Wade Jackson. I
sincerely hope that comes to pass, what a beautiful show we would have
with this trio together with some of our great pickers. I hope for some
of the readers of Country Music News International, especially the disc
jockeys in Europe who still play ‘real’ country music that they make an
attempt to correspond with this great couple, get a couple of their
CD’s, and give their listeners a real treat of incredibly gifted ‘real’
classic country music of today. Don’s voice and control stands out
strongly on “Weeds In The Master’s Garden,” and it’s absolutely
beautiful. Maybe the fact that Don is a Missouri farmer has something
to do with that. And no wonder, it’s takes a farmer to understand real
‘country’ music. I was a farmer growing up too, and love to give Don a
hard time, but he’s ‘true’ country, and that makes him a gentleman.
RECORD REVIEW BY BOB EVERHART – www.ntcma.net
for Country Music News International Magazine