“Hey Joan: Commentaries on Her” by Chicago artist Carol Williams, is the third in a series of keyboard-based folk-jazz compositions, following “Empty Boots: Commentaries on War and Country” and “We Can Work it Out: Commentaries on the Beatles”.

“Hey Joan”, the title track, is a gender-reversed take on the well-known rock standard “Hey Joe”, and continues the same thematic style that Carol is known for, adding flute on three of the albums’ tracks. With bold statements on women’s issues ranging from marriage, motherhood, make-up and morality, this “countrified Laura Nyro” (Jeff Penczak, Foxy Digitalis) gets it right on target. You’ll see why Chuck Berg (Jazz Times) says: “Williams is an original, a force cutting across all convenient categories”.

This year, Carol will be focusing on performing in support of women Veterans’ health care programs and organizations: much of the material on "Hey Joan" is radio-friendly for occasions such as Women's History Month, Mothers' Day, Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and also Earth Day, with Carols' haunting acapella version of Les Barkers' song "Earth".

For more information on Carols’ performance schedule and published reviews, please go to her website at www.carolwilliamsmusic.com