Joi Cardwell is the eponymous second studio album by American singer Joi Cardwell. It was released on November 11, 1997, by Eightball Records in collaboration with WEA's Lightyear Entertainment. Most of the lyrical content of the album was inspired by Cardwell's personal life.

Upon its release, Joi Cardwell received generally positive reviews from most music critics. It was also successful in international music markets and yielded four singles, including four commercial hits: "Soul to Bare", "Run to You", "Found Love" and "Power".

Cardwell began her second album in mid-1996. The album was at four different recording studios in New York City including Big Screen Studios, Fusion Studios, Num Sound Studios, and Gomi's Lair Productions. Cardwell decided to enlist in recording and writing with more producers and taking a slightly lesser production than she did on her debut album. Producers Phillip Damien, Hani Al-Bader, Bluejean, Frankie Knuckles, Brinsley Evans each contributed tracks and mixes, while Cardwell also self-produced several songs. The songs were mastered and engineered by Konrad Carelli and Gerald Freeman in New York City.

Joi Cardwell was influenced by a variety of American genres, and, like Cardwell's previous album, incorporated urban contemporary elements including contemporary R&B and jazz. Cardwell crafted most songs on the album through live instrumentation and diverse techniques. This is evident on "Stop & Think", which utilizes bass guitar, drums, keyboard, and different percussion instruments.

After the success of her previous album, Eightball Records decided to partner with WEA's Lightyear Entertainment to distribute Joi Cardwell. The album was released on November 11, 1997 in North America. Cardwell, who had toured throughout the year of 1997, decided to briefly concluded to cope with the untimely death of her mother Jacqueline Cardwell; who died of metastatic breast cancer.

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