Artistry and Influences
Joel described her music while in the Musical Theater program at NYU as taking on a musical theater tone, and, because at age 18 she "didn’t really have a boyfriend... or know as much," her music was "dreamy and idealistic," "not necessarily as edgy."
Joel characterized the genre of her debut 2006 EP Sketches as being "pop/soul/blues," its allmusic review describing Joel as "drawing on a lot of different styles" to create "instantly familiar pop." The following spring, Joel described this earlier work as having been "idealistic and maybe a little more poppy," explaining that her ensuing work "goes a little deeper" and focuses more on the lyrics, some of her newer songs being in the jazz and country genres. Her published works have been classified in the pop/rock, and jazz genres. Joel herself explained that it is a "mistake" for artists "to confine their music into one specific genre, ... because there are so many styles of music to be influenced by." One commentater remarked that Joel's "pitch-perfect singing and big kit bag of stylistic flourishes ... allow this versatile vocalist/songwriter to sound like a Billie Holiday or Etta James one moment, then a Carole King or even a Dolly Parton the next.
Joel has likened her creative approach to that of her father Billy Joel: In 2006 Joel explained that, like her father, she strives to write songs that are very melodic, with a unifying theme or hook being present throughout. However, her songs are distinct: Joel was described as writing "tight, melodic, catchy songs that are as classically constructed as her father's without sounding much like his work," Joel being said to have more in common with the "classicist coffeehouse pop" of Norah Jones than with her father. Asked about their respective musical styles, Joel responded: Mine is "a bit more soulful, more blues than my dad's. He’s more pop rock."
Asked about her approach to songwriting, Joel explained that her "pattern is that songs are easiest for me when I’m really in the throes of things. I don’t think I write as well when a lot of time has gone (by) and I look back and reflect. ... I like to write when I’m feeling it in the moment. "I usually have the melody first, and (then) the lyrics," noting that her father "focuses on the melody first, and then, the lyrics are always very fitting, ... you never say “oh, that sounds awkward.” Like the pieces of a puzzle, everything just fits together." "My favorite songs are simple songs." "I’m very, very old school,...I like songs that sound like…classics. ... like they’re timeless. I’m always trying to emulate that with my songs." Even before Sketches was released, a reviewer remarked "There's nothing remotely indie or trendy about Joel. As a songwriter she's clearly absorbed the classics Carole King, Elton John, Billy Joel." In 2006 Joel said "I like slow-burning jazz songs," and in 2008 cited Ray Charles, Norah Jones, Billie Holiday and Etta James as influences." In 2011, however, Joel reportedly mentioned Pink Floyd, Radiohead, June Carter, Regina Spektor and Lily Allen as influences.
Asked in 2012 what inspires her music, Joel replied "love and relationships inspire me most of all," adding that "music from great songwriters inspires me to constantly challenge and push myself creatively, and to delve into places I might otherwise be hesitant about. "(Y)ears ago, I was ... primarily influenced by... classic singer-songwriters like Carole King, Ray Charles, and Randy Newman, so I was writing within the genre of an old-school sound with simply structured pop-chords and a Beach Boys/bluesy feel. Now, I’ve grown tired of that niche and those influences, and I’m moving fastidiously into a much darker, mature place than I would’ve ever expected through listening to artists like Radiohead, The Cure, Annie Lennox, Fiona Apple, and Rufus Wainwright. Suddenly, I have an urge to only write in minor chord (pro)gressions, and to supplement those eery melodies alongside lyrics with a tinge of tragedy and cynicism to them."
Concerning artistic development, Joel, who described herself as having been "overly polite" and avoiding confrontation, advised in late 2010 that "Your songs are your babies, you have to protect them, and you cannot let anybody tweak them or finish them in a way that you feel isn't right."
Read more about this topic: Alexa Ray Joel
Famous quotes containing the words artistry and/or influences:
“He did not live, he observed life from a window, and too often was inclined to content himself with no more than what his friends told him they saw when they looked out of a window.... In the end the point of Henry James is neither his artistry nor his seriousness, but his personality, and this was curious and charming and a trifle absurd.”
—W. Somerset Maugham (1874–1965)
“However diligent she may be, however dedicated, no mother can escape the larger influences of culture, biology, fate . . . until we can actually live in a society where mothers and children genuinely matter, ours is an essentially powerless responsibility. Mothers carry out most of the work orders, but most of the rules governing our lives are shaped by outside influences.”
—Mary Kay Blakely (20th century)