Love is a verb. It is an action taken, one that must be renewed within the self. It is a process of learning, evolution, and the very nature of what it means to nurture ourselves and others. Few artists know this as intimately as Joy Guidry, the Texas-bred, California-based bassoonist and the fruits of her efforts can be heard through her latest album, Amen.
“I hear other artists say, ‘I put my life and soul into this.’ And I could never relate because I have never been in an emotional place where I can just let go and not be afraid of vulnerability,” says Guidry. “But now, I’ve finally made a project that resonates with me so deeply from beginning to end. I’m so happy where I am in life, and “Amen” truly represents that there was no bullshit as I went into this.”
Born and raised in Houston Texas, Guidry first found music through the church. Growing up, if R&B was for cleaning on Saturdays, then gospel, says Guidry, was the standard for Sundays.
After years of performing other people’s music, Guidry began making her own. Focused and intentional, Guidry is a visionary. Her keen understanding of how different genres of music can speak to and meld into one another mimics the intricacies and interwoven elements of life. Her releases include commissioned works as well as her debut full-length Radical Acceptance released in 2022.
Amen is the next step forward, one that calls in the power of community when embodying our true selves. “I wanted to give a voice and give power and provide community to the people I love and truly care for on this record by tackling songs and challenging myself,” Guidry says. “I knew I got the right people, the right community to drive it home, to take my ideas and really bring it together.”
Sometimes, we think of change as a settled process, one that marks a beginning, a middle, and an end. But Guidry knows the truth, one that requires each of us to keep digging, keep pushing ourselves beyond the limitations of our comfort zones. And Amen tells the story—in playful genre experimentations and heady ruminations of richly embodied instrumentation.
Are you going to give this one a spin?
