"Built around the centerpiece of "Riptide," the album offers up a dozen or so additional songs in that familiar mold of romantic, introspective, acoustic folk-pop. Musically, Joy falls somewhere between the laid-back surfer charm of Jack Johnson and the bearded earnestness of the Mumfords' nu folk scene ... With its sweet harmonies and strong build, the album's most engaging track, "Winds of Change," is smartly placed at the top, setting an enjoyable tone of promise that doesn't quite deliver over the remaining 45 minutes".