Description
Samara Joy – Linger Awhile – Vinyl Record
“Linger Awhile” is the Grammy Award-winning second studio album by rising jazz star Samara Joy, released on September 16, 2022, through Verve Records. At just 22 years old when the album dropped, Samara Joy emerged as a modern-day torchbearer of classic vocal jazz, stunning audiences and critics alike with her maturity, vocal richness, and interpretative depth. With Linger Awhile, she breathes new life into timeless standards, placing herself squarely in the lineage of jazz greats like Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald, and Carmen McRae—yet with a voice and phrasing distinctly her own.
Before diving into the album, it’s worth noting that Samara Joy McLendon, a Bronx native, had already generated serious buzz in the jazz world prior to this release. She won the Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition in 2019 and released her self-titled debut album in 2021 to strong critical acclaim. Linger Awhile took that promise and elevated it, quickly propelling her to mainstream attention, especially after she earned Best New Artist and Best Jazz Vocal Album at the 65th Grammy Awards in 2023.
Linger Awhile is a collection of jazz standards, but what makes it remarkable is how effortlessly Samara Joy makes them feel fresh, intimate, and personal. Her voice is warm, rich in tone, and controlled with a finesse far beyond her years. There’s a calm authority in her phrasing—a kind of unhurried grace—that evokes the golden age of jazz singers, yet her interpretations never feel imitative or museum-like.
The arrangements are elegant, swinging, and minimalist, placing her vocals front and center while providing lush, supportive textures from a tight ensemble led by pianist Ben Paterson, guitarist Pasquale Grasso, bassist David Wong, and drummer Kenny Washington. The production is crisp and intimate, giving the album the feel of a private club set rather than a heavily produced studio recording.
Track Highlights
“Can’t Get Out of This Mood” – One of the standout tracks and a signature moment. Originally popularized by Sarah Vaughan, Samara Joy brings a supple, youthful touch, balancing flirtation and sophistication.
“Social Call” – A swinging, upbeat gem that showcases her impeccable timing and joyful delivery. Her scatting here is particularly tasteful and technically impressive.
“Linger Awhile” – The title track is a relatively lesser-known standard (made famous by Thelonious Monk and others), but Samara uses it as a showcase for her phrasing and subtle emotional control, lingering, quite literally, on each phrase with nuance.
“Round Midnight” – Her interpretation of Monk’s haunting classic is one of the album’s deeper, more introspective cuts. She doesn’t oversing—it’s all about mood and atmosphere, letting silence speak as powerfully as the notes.
“Someone to Watch Over Me” – Here, Joy leans into the torch-song tradition with reverence and vulnerability. It’s not flashy, but it’s beautifully honest.
“Guess Who I Saw Today” – A storytelling ballad famously associated with Nancy Wilson. Samara delivers it with restraint and emotional intelligence, letting the slow build of the narrative land with poignant impact.
Critics from outlets like The New York Times, NPR, DownBeat, and Pitchfork praised Linger Awhile for both its timelessness and freshness. Jazz purists appreciated her reverence for tradition, while younger and broader audiences were drawn in by her charisma and accessibility.
While not a concept album in the narrative sense, Linger Awhile is thematically unified by its meditative tone, its exploration of romantic longing, and its celebration of the jazz vocal tradition. It’s not an album that tries to revolutionize jazz—it’s one that reinvigorates it, introducing these songs to a new generation without ever pandering or modernizing them for the sake of trend.
Linger Awhile is a stunning achievement for an artist so early in her career. With a voice that feels both rooted in the past and poised for the future, Samara Joy has reintroduced the elegance of classic jazz vocals to a new audience, proving that there is still profound beauty in interpretation, phrasing, and emotional clarity. Whether you’re a jazz aficionado or someone just discovering the genre, this album is a perfect entry point—and a sign that vocal jazz is not only alive but thriving.
Brand new, never played and still in the factory plastic
Track Listing
Can’t Get Out Of This Mood
Guess Who I Saw Today
Nostalgia (The Day I Knew)
Sweet Pumpkin
Misty
Social Call
I’m Confessin’ (That I Love You)
Linger Awhile
‘Round Midnight
Someone To Watch Over Me
