“Stompin' in Joy” is O Sister!'s fourth release and third long album. It's also the first to include original material. The sextet from Seville, who've always interpreted early 20th Century Swing, have accepted the challenge and incorporated their own compostions in their repertoire for the very first time. These are songs born this year, 2016, but performed with that popular and danceable jazz style that has become their hallmark. “Stompin' in Joy” is therefore a mix of these new originals with O Sister!'s familiar arrangements and personal renderings of classics from the golden era of Swing. The work shows the sextet has reached maturity. Their sound has evolved towards the original and primitive jazz, Dixieland, increasingly explored by the band since their New Orleans tour in late 2014, which led to the addition of traditional instruments such as the banjo or the washboard. Eight years of musical exploration added to their experience in New Orleans have given the band a clearly identifiable “O Sister! sound”. This sound revisits the aforementioned genres and takes them a step further with the help of two extra factors. On the one hand, the great skill of producer Jordi Gil at Sputnik Studios in a live recording done the old-fashioned way although exploiting the possibilities offered by present-day technology. On the other hand, the collaboration of excellent guest musicians featuring an extraordinary brass and reed section formed by Juli Aymi (clarinet), Julien Silvand (trumpet) and Josep Tutusaus (trombone), and the indispensible contribution of a regular collaborator at the band's recordings, pianist Ángel Andrés Muñoz. Such a concentration of talent works well for a record which, in contrast to the 'darker' tones of their previous release “Spooky Sessions” (2014), takes inspiration from the luminous spirit with which New Orleans faces adversity, as uttered in the verse in the song 'The Dances I Owe You': “Dance your pains all right out!”. Joyful music combined with simple and catchy lyrics for their new original songs, ranging from light-hearted daily topics ('The Baby Rag', 'Please Don't Talk to Me Before My Morning Coffee') to the band's ongoing concern for social issues, such as inconformism or the role of women in society in general and as jazz musicians and composers in particular ('Keep Your Head Up, Sister!' and 'Nowzah!'). The repertoire of "Stompin' in Joy" brings to a climax the potential shown by O Sister! over the years, literally bursting with life in the title song when the brass section kicks in. The band has turned its hometown Seville's Guadalquivir River into its own Mississippi. No need to reinvent itself: it drinks from the source. It has been a long time since jazz was given such a therapeutic, regenerating and joyful boost. With this new album, O Sister! exceeds expectations yet again, lifting our hearts and spirits song after song. In these times, as back then, perhaps this is the most difficult thing to achieve.