Joy Williams Venus Album Review

I was a huge fan of the Nashville-based duo The Civil Wars. I LOVED the way Joy Willams' haunting, ethereal voice soared opposite John Paul White's soulful sound. Like a lot of Civil Wars fans, I wasn't quite sure what to expect of Joy's post-Civil Wars solo album. Of course, when One2One Network offered me the opportunity to review the album, I was thrilled to give it an early listen.

Williams' solo album, Venus, tells a beautiful, uplifting story of modern womanhood. Themes of mothering, relationships, and strength abound. The songs don't have the dreamy, old-time feel of Civil Wars tunes; rather, they're often straightforward tales of love, loss, or celebration. "Sweet Love of Mine" will resonate with mothers or anyone else who has a very special child in their life. "Woman (Oh Mama)" is beautifully celebratory, and if "Before I Sleep" hasn't already been slated for a movie soundtrack, it should be soon! Of course, for Civil Wars die-hards, it's easy to interpret a few songs as being about the band's breakup; perhaps "One Day I Will" is just that, or maybe it's about the end of another type of relationship. That's the beauty of Venus; many of these songs go beyond Joy's own experiences and touch something universal in the listener.

Venus will be available for download June 29. You can preorder via iTunes or Amazon now, or download select singles now.

{One2One Network provided the album download to HerKentucky for review purposes. No additional compensation was provided; all opinions are my own.)

Green BEAN Delivery Product Review and Discount Code

I love cooking. For me, time in the kitchen is about creativity and stress release and creating something special for my family and friends.  It's one of my happy places.

What I don't love is going to the grocery store. There are people running into you with their cart. There's the guesswork of produce quality. And there's all the time it takes to actually go to the store. That's why I was so excited when Green BEAN Delivery emailed me to let me know about their service.

They deliver your groceries -- organic, locally sourced when possible groceries -- straight to your front door.  Needless to say, I was intrigued.

I was given the option of reviewing a small produce bin. I went to Green BEAN's website, selected the produce I wanted for the upcoming week, and awaited its arrival. The process couldn't have been simpler!

We enjoyed some healthy, delicious meals with our Green BEAN produce.  The bell pepper, field greens, and blueberries were fantastic, and made a gorgeous salad.

We added some grilled jerk chicken to the salad for a balanced, healthy meal.

The brussels sprouts were great -- so much fresher than those our local grocery stores have to offer right now! I roasted them (I love those caramelized ends!) and served them with a grilled pork tenderloin.

The asparagus was really fresh and delicious as well; it made a simple and delicious dinner with strip steaks!

Green BEAN Delivery hopes y'all will enjoy their service as much as I did, so they're offering a special deal for HerKentucky readers.

Use code 15HKml at checkout for $15 off your first order.

The code expires next Wednesday, July 9th and is good for new members and reactivations only. 

Coming up tomorrow is Part 2 of the Green BEAN Delivery Review, in which I discover Foxhollow Farm ground beef.  (And Max lets me know that taking photos for blog reviews is a ridiculous process.)

{I was provided a complimentary Green BEAN Delivery order for review purposes. No additional compensation was provided.  All opinions are my own.}