If you are looking for a new beginning in Joy's music, prepare to not be disappointed. Genesis delivers Joy's great lyrical and vocal abilities with music that is significantly better than her previously two releases. Gone are the songs like Desperate which rely on the lyrics to make them into plausible songs. That, however, is not to say, that the lyrics are lacking. Instead, tracks like We, Unafraid and Stay provide listeners with a great mix of pop music with a little bit of a rock edge to it. This disc is littered with solid tracks both musically and lyrically, and these are just three examples of that.
But, if you're looking for straight pop music from Joy, do not fret. Songs like God Only Knows and Silence offer another great taste of Joy's insightful lyrics while sticking to a more traditional idea of "pop" music. These songs are quite similar to a lot of the radio hits that have made Joy such a big name in CCM. Even as one of the youngest members of the CCM community, Joy continues to blow away a lot of the competition vocally.
One of the great things about Joy's songs is that they are simple. The lyrics are relatively easy-going, not overly complicated, but are able to strike a chord with many, many people out there. This trend continues on Genesis. In fact, arguably the best song on the disc, Beautiful Redemption, has some of the simplest lyrics Joy has ever written. With half of the verses dedicated to comparing herself to Biblical sinners ("I'm a doubting Thomas...I'm a perfumed sinner just like Magdalene...I am Judas...I'm the thief that's hanging by Your side") and a chorus thatb is simply a prayer of "Father, forgive me" and the response of "Child, I already have" making up nearly the entire song, this one could have easily been the worst track on the disc. However, because of Joy's improved music and great vocals, it turns into an amazing song that will touch many people deeply. This is something that Joy has become a pro at doing on each of her discs, and it's definitely one of the things that makes her such a big star.
Overall, Genesis is most definitely a new beginning. Throughout Joy's young career, her vocals and lyrics have continued to mature through the experiences she has had and the troubles she has faced in that time. Now her music is starting to catch up. This disc is definitely Joy's best disc thus far, and it sets her on a path toward even greater music in the years to come.