Joss Stone & Avril Lavigne Reveal Their 'Influences' To 180 Music

NEW YORK (Top40 Charts/ 180 Music's Spotlight) - What made your favorite artists who they are today? What music did they listen to? What are their favorite songs? Who influenced them the most? Today's artists are the sum total of everything they've ever heard, ever enjoyed and ever played and 180 Music's Spotlight Influences Series gives them the chance to tell their story.

Music has the power to inspire, influence, and impress and now Target customers will get the chance to listen to songs that have done just that for Joss Stone & Avril Lavigne. Each CD is a collection of tracks from their favorite artists highlighting the songs that had a significant impact on their own songwriting and career. Each artist has handpicked an album's worth of specific songs that they have a strong connection with as well as liner notes written by the artist about why they chose their particular selections.

Multi-platinum singer/songwriter/guitarist Avril Lavigne lists among her influences The Beach Boys, The Archies, Janis Joplin and Alanis Morissette.

"Alanis Morissette is my favorite female artist and 'Jagged Little Pill' is my favorite record of all time," Lavigne commented. "Alanis has definitely been a major influence on me. One of the greatest nights of my life was when I got to sing her song "Ironic" with her onstage."

Even at 20 year old Joss Stone admires the who's who of vintage soul, 70's R&B and Motown Pop including Al Green, Aretha Franklin, James Brown and Natalie Cole.

"I like real singers, not just a pretty girl dancing around or a bunch of good-looking boys," Stone remarked. "For me, it's all about the voice. That's why I go back to these kinds of artists. The classic soul singers and the people working today who've taken to heart what they did ? I feel their energy so deeply, and they inspire me to be real."

Joss Stone and Avril Lavigne's Influences albums will join the already impressive entries in this series which also includes releases from Sarah McLachlan, The Dave Matthews Band, Wynonna, Jason Mraz, and Jamie Cullum.