Born in Southeast Kansas and raised on Dolly Parton, Lisa Michelle Anderson has always had a song in her heart. 

After a stint in Australia where she learned to play the six-string, Anderson laid down her roots in Minneapolis and honed in on her craft. She made a lasting impression on the music scene there, performing at iconic clubs like First Avenue/7th St. Entry, The Uptown, and The 400 Club among others. She was even voted Best Singer-Songwriter by the Minnesota Music Academy. 

She boasts an impressive list of collaborators, including Matt Cameron (Pearl Jam, Sound Garden), Adam Levy (Turn Turn Turn), Johnny Irion (Arlo Guthrie, Robert DeLeo), legendary mixer Paul Kolderie (Radiohead, Pixies, Dinosaur Jr.) and more. 

Her latest release, “Joy Callin’,” dropped March 9th, along with a raw and retro music video, which hit YouTube today, March 20th.

In an intimate home setting, Anderson invites us into her conversation with what’s to come. The chat goes something like, “This is joy callin’ / And I’ve got the best of news / The good will rise / The evil will fall / Call me back soon.” This conversation with ‘Joy’ personified leaves listeners feeling hopeful and refreshed. Anderson’s sound has been described as “fresh linen and well-worn denim occasionally splashed with whiskey, beer, and hot sauce,” evident in her cowgirl style and bluesy pipes. 

In her own words, Anderson states, “With our world in what feels like constant turmoil, I feel like we can all use more joy in our lives. But then I ask myself, what is joy? Is joy a feeling? Is joy a person? What if ‘joy’ called me on the phone? Could I ask joy a few questions? After writing ‘Joy Callin’, I have come to the conclusion that joy can mean something different for everyone.”

Now based in Western Massachusetts, Anderson continues to perform her touching tunes all over the state. Following the release of her EPs, Quincy St. and Waters of Blue, released in 2020 and 2022 respectively, Anderson continues to record and produce with renowned singer-songwriter Johnny Irion. She’s currently finishing up an LP with him, set to be released later this year. 

Anderson will be opening for Mike Stinson and Johnny Irion for their album release show on March 25th at The Egremont Barn in Egremont, MA.

A fresh new single from Lisa Michelle Anderson hits that sweet spot between a southern kissed folk approach and real deal classic rock influence all while giving everything a coding of her own personal character and style. 

"Joy Callin'" is a wonderful single that shows such an amazing heart and songwriting with changes that you don't expect at first but then find yourself waiting for them to come again along with a sort of welcoming undertone that feels good to listen to. 

This track definitely showcases an experienced artist that knows how to arrange and format a song well enough so that you get attached to it but also has a knack for hooks so that when the song is ended you still find that Melody bouncing around your head for hours on end. 

The best part about that is that the only way to satiate it is to play the song again. 

So there was definitely some attention to detail going on with the creation of this single and she has a great sort of personal swagger in the delivery which also helps create this atmosphere of her own. 

This was definitely something that sounded and felt like something you've been listening to on the radio for at least a few years now and a lot about that has to do with those classic rock influences. 

The guitars are beautifully performed and the vocals are everything on this track really. 

Along with the single comes an accompanied music video which shows her presence as an artist even more than just the track itself does which is wonderful because when you hear the song you want to just know more about her. 

A good music video will give you some of that and she accomplished that with this one. 

You get a feel for even more of her character and that's important when you're releasing a single as an artist. 

Obviously this isn't Anderson's first rodeo which you can tell by the music Alone of course, so these things I'm sure she kept in mind when creating all of these aspects. 

A great single from a great artist doing things her own way. Check this one out.

Published 3/21/23, The Sounds Won’t Stop (thesoundswontstop.com)

LISA MICHELLE ANDERSON, "Joy Callin’” 

The JW Vibe, Music That Sticks To My Soul Jonathan Widran 3/26/23 

It’s truly one of the darker features of the human condition that when the prospect of true inner happiness presents itself – or in the case of Lisa Michelle Anderson’s beautiful and lilting new acoustic country single “Joy Callin’,” literally rings us up – we all too often express skepticism, allowing our minds to go immediately to the self-sabotaging dark side where the bridges we’ve burned remind us not to get to excited. 

As much as we would like to, the world’s beat us down too long (and the nightly news mostly so bleak and hopeless) to believe, as Joy (the personification thereof) tells her “the good will rise, the evil will fall.” So it makes sense that in the midst of the sultry voiced veteran singer’s 

infectious and soulfully metaphoric tune, she follows Joy’s promise that she’s here to help her along with “How do I know it’s you/And how do I know it’s really true?” There are no guarantees, but Joy reveals the heart- piercing truth in that same bridge: “Awe honey, it doesn’t happen overnight/ But I’m always here if you want to make things right.” 

That’s Anderson sharing a belief that maybe opening up to that joy accessible (from God, the Universe and ourselves) is really about confronting and moving past those inner demons and unresolved issues that tell us the good stuff isn’t possible, much as we say we want it.” It’s fascinating concept and simple yet powerful song that provides an unforgettable introduction (for those not yet familiar) to the ever-deepening artistry of Anderson, who has the unique distinction of being raised in Southeast Kansas on the music of Dolly Parton, then learning to play guitar in Australia. 

Between then and now, she conquered the club scene in Minneapolis, opened for the likes of the late Warren Zevon, The Jayhawks, Peter Case, Marianne Faithfull and Lowen & Navarro, and recorded with countless other artists, including Johnny Irion,  who produced “Joy Callin'” and her upcoming full length album. Since launching 
her recording career in 2020, she’s released a couple of Eps showcasing her soothing vocals and songwriting prowess, in addition to a plucky cover of Joni Mitchell’s classic “Court and Spark.” Here’s hoping Anderson will bless us with more musical joy callin’ soon.

Fresh Finds 

Lisa Michelle Anderson – JOY CALLIN’ 

March 30, 2023

This might be our favorite song from this year. Beautiful and talented singer-songwriter Lisa Michelle Anderson grabbed our attention with her beautiful single, “JOY CALLIN’,” and we are super excited to share it with you. 

The minute we heard Lisa’s voice we fell in love with it and couldn’t get it out of our heads. She has one of the catchiest and most beautiful voices we’ve ever heard and her performance on this record is on another level. The sound is catchy, and the lyrics are memorable and beautifully written and mesh perfectly with the vocal melodies. Lisa’s voice and the production of this song are complementary which allows the melodies to sparkle. The energy of this song is beautiful and the quality is interesting. Lisa Michelle Anderson is a talented artist and her music is different and deserves more attention. 

This is one of those rare records you come across that you’ll have on repeat all week long. Check it out for yourself and be sure to let us know what you think. Don’t forget to follow Lisa Michelle Anderson online to stay up to date!