Joyful (Ayo album)

Joyful is the debut studio album by German singer and songwriter Ayọ, released on 12 June 2006 by Polydor Records. The album was recorded over five days in New York City with producer Jay Newland.^[11]

Joyful
Studio album by Ayọ
Released	12 June 2006 (2006-06-12)
Recorded	January 2006
Studio	Sony Music (New York City)
Genre	Soul[1] folk[1] reggae[1] worldbeat[2]
Length	49:42
Label	Polydor
Producer	Jay Newland
Ayọ chronology
Joyful (2006) Gravity at Last (2008)
Singles from Joyful
"Down on My Knees" Released: 4 September 2006[3] "And It's Supposed to Be Love" Released: 20 November 2006[4] "Help Is Coming" Released: 31 May 2007[5]

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[6]
CDstarts.de	[7]
laut.de	[8]
letmeentertainyou.de	[9]
Marie Claire (UK)	[10]
PopMatters	6/10[2]

Joyful was particularly successful in France, where it peaked at number six on the albums chart and was certified double platinum by the Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique (SNEP). The album also reached number one in Poland, number five in Italy and number eight in Finland.

Track listing

All tracks are written by Joy Olasunmibo Ogunmakin, except where noted.

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Down on My Knees" (writers: Ogunmakin, George Brenner)	4:01
2.	"Without You"	3:57
3.	"Letter by Letter"	3:13
4.	"How Many Times?"	3:28
5.	"And It's Supposed to Be Love" (writer: Abbey Lincoln)	4:59
6.	"Watching You"	3:53
7.	"Only You"	3:55
8.	"Help Is Coming"	3:55
9.	"These Days"	4:48
10.	"Life Is Real"	4:48
11.	"What Is Love?"	4:26
12.	"Neva Been"	4:19

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Joyful.^[12]

Musicians

• Ayọ – vocals, acoustic guitar, piano
• Larry Campbell – guitar, steel guitar, mandolin
• Brian Mitchell – Hammond B-3, accordion, harmonica, bass harmonica, piano
• Keith Christopher – bass great feel
• James Wormworth – drums
• Danny Sadownick – percussion
• Kyle Gordon – backing vocals

Technical

• Jay Newland – production, engineering
• Andy Manganello – engineering
• Geoff Rice – engineering assistance
• Mark Wilder – mastering

Artwork

• Aurélie Ullrich – art direction
• Jean-Marc Lubrano – photography
• Rapho – photography

Charts

Weekly charts Weekly chart performance for Joyful Chart (2006–2007) Peak position Australian Urban Albums (ARIA)[13] 25 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[14] 35 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[15] 46 European Albums (Billboard)[16] 29 Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[17] 8 French Albums (SNEP)[18] 6 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[19] 40 Greek Albums (IFPI)[20] 13 Italian Albums (FIMI)[21] 5 Polish Albums (ZPAV)[22] 1 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[23] 35 US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[24] 16 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[25] 81

Year-end charts 2006 year-end chart performance for Joyful Chart (2006) Position French Albums (SNEP)[26] 24 2007 year-end chart performance for Joyful Chart (2007) Position French Albums (SNEP)[27] 27

Certifications

Certifications for Joyful

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
France (SNEP)[28]	2× Platinum	400,000*
Poland (ZPAV)[29]	2× Platinum	40,000*
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[30]	Gold	15,000^
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Release history for Joyful

Region	Date	Label	Ref.
France	12 June 2006	Polydor	[31]
Italy	1 September 2006	Universal	[32]
Netherlands	17 November 2006		[33]
Germany	21 November 2006		[34]
Canada	30 January 2007		[35]
Poland	5 March 2007		[36]
Australia	31 March 2007		[37]
United Kingdom	3 September 2007	Polydor	[38]
United States	20 November 2007	Interscope	[39]