Mixerr Album Reviews #803

This is Michael Mixerr. Today I will review Mashonda - January Joy.

Back Of Da Club was her hit single that was on the radio for a short stint in time. As time went by, the single began to lose airplay on the radio due to lack of an audience and lack of support from J Records (now merged with RCA). A result of her single getting no airplay is the that album kept getting pushed back.

Blackout was the track that was even hotter. The beats are crazy and the production quality is superb! Her voice goes well on this track especially on the overdub. Blackout should have been a hit for Mashonda. However Blackout was getting no airplay on the radio unfortunately.

The upbeat song Girlfriend showcases her soft melodic voice. This song was a great way to showcase her voice. Her voice is similar to Tweet and Jill Scott. The song Girlfriend was a great song!

Mashonda says at the start of Lonely, Mashonda says 'Sometimes, when I'm alone...I get lonely' . That right there is a cliché in songwriting. That is cliché songwriting right there. Mashonda definitely needed a better songwriter to compose this song. It's understandable to see why Lonely did not get any airplay on the radio. That would not have been a song to choose to be a single.

Kanye West produced the song Hold Me. However the song turned out to be forgettable and nothing special really at all. If you listened to Kanye West's production skills on Jay-Z's tracks, then you know he can do a better effort than he had performed on this song right here. Kanye West should have had more input in production along with Swizz Beatz.


Mashonda didn't really stand out as an artist. That's the reason she and her debut album got overlooked by fans and the music industry. The lyrics were very cliché and Swizz Beatz had only produced three songs. More production by Swizz Beatz was needed to make this album a success. Kanye West should have had more input in production along with Swizz Beatz. Mashonda definitely needs better songwriters. One can see why this album was released in Japan only.


To set the record straight, the January Joy album was NEVER unreleased. The January Joy album was just released in Japan only because of a lack of audience in the United States and worldwide of course. It was due to a lack of audience, support from J Records, cliché in songwriting, and the lack Swizz Beatz presence in production that the January Joy was not released in the US and did not seek a worldwide release in album sales. The result of her singles getting no airplay is that the album kept getting pushed back. That happens a lot to American artists in the US who lack support from their fan base and lack of an audience in their own country. Take Lil Eddie, Mya, Mikel Knight, Kiley Dean, and Montell Jordan for example. That happens a lot to Jazz musicians. Sometimes albums keep getting pushed back only to be released in Japan which is quite sad because people don't know what they're missing. One can see why this album was released in Japan only.


Mashonda looked so beautiful on the album cover and in music videos. She had that Tweet vibe in her. (In fashion sense that is.) She should have had the chance to record and release 6 or 7 albums in her career instead being casted offside away from the scene. It seems after the January Joy album dropped in 2006, Mashonda disappeared and fell off the face of the Earth. Knowing where she would have been in her career if her album took off and became an international success worldwide is something one can wonder on about.

I rate this album, January Joy, 3/5***.