Proof of Life by Joy Oladokun

Proof of Life, Joy Oladokun's fourth studio album and her second for a major label, came out on April 28, 2023, through Amigo, Verve Forecast and Republic. It's a record that wears its guest list proudly, with Chris Stapleton, Manchester Orchestra, Mt. Joy, Noah Kahan and Maxo Kream all stopping by, and yet it never stops sounding like her.

Oladokun has always stitched folk, R&B, rock and pop into one warm fabric, and who she is as a queer woman of color is woven right into the music. Here the sound is roomier and more confident, soft grooves opening out into big, open-hearted choruses. "We're All Gonna Die" is the kind of title only a songwriter this warm could get away with, and five singles spread across 2022 and 2023 kept the album in view long before it landed.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.