by Mikey (Gillingham, Kent, UK)
Each week I preview an album which I think deserves a listen to and if it�s worth to buy, I will cater for all tastes of music from R�n�B to Rock, Hip hop and Pop. At the end of the page, you will find all future album releases.
Joss Stone - The Soul Sessions
Release Date: 2 February, 2004
Not every 16-year-old white, English girl can hang with the likes of Betty Wright ("Clean Up Woman") and Angie Stone. Joss Stone (no relation), however, is blessed with a strong voice and a will to sing old-school soul. This debut CD is worthy of more than novelty status, though. Wisely avoiding iconic songs by the genre�s biggest names, Stone and a production team that includes Wright opt for lesser-known tunes more often by the likes of Laura Lee, Joe Simon, and the Soul Brothers Six--not to mention their digging out the great soul lyric in the White Stripes� "Fell in Love with a (Boy)." Joss Stone occasionally misses a connection; her "Some Kind of Wonderful" is listless, and when she develops a bit more subtlety, it�ll be welcome.
Hot on the heels of Amy Winehouse and Katie Melua, Joss Stone is the latest teenage sensation to be feted by the music industry. There�s a massive buzz about Stone at the moment, with both Paul Weller and Lenny Kravitz offering to write songs for her, and soul legend Betty Wright producing this, her debut album.
The main reason for all the fuss is the fact that Stone has a remarkable voice, all the more so when you consider she�s a 16-year-old girl from Devon. As with Winehouse, you�d swear she�d been around for years singing with the likes of Aretha Franklin. Of course there�s nothing unusual about white girls being able to sing the blues (see Dusty Springfield, Alison Moyet, Annie Lennox) - what is unusual is to hear a voice this strong from one so young.
The Soul Sessions is apparently intended as more of an introduction to Stone, consisting of standards, obscure gems and the odd contemporary cover. An album of Stone�s own material is expected later this year, but in the meantime this makes the perfect taster.
It�s a bit unfair though to call this a �covers� album - Stone takes each song and completely reinterprets it, with her version of Fell In Love With A Girl by the White Stripes being the best of a wonderful bunch. Renamed Fell In Love With A Boy, the furious guitar work of the original is stripped away and we�re left with a deliciously languid soul song, with a downright filthy bassline. It�s rare that a cover version outshines the original, especially when the source material is a band as good as The White Stripes, but Stone manages it here.
Elsewhere, The Chokin' Kind makes for a heartbreakingly good opening track, and Stone even takes on an Aretha Franklin song (All The Kings Horses) and doesn�t disgrace herself. Although the album is ballad heavy, Super Duper Love is the funkiest thing you�ll hear all year - Stone could do worse than explore this sound more for her next album.
The only criticism that could be levelled here is that some of the selections don�t work that well - I Had A Dream is pretty uninspired, while The Isley Brothers� For The Love Of You goes on for far too long (although it is an impressive showcase of Stone�s voice). However, the band of R�n�B veterans keeps things tight and listenable even when the material falls short.
Stone is building up an enviable reputation in the States (there have already been whispers of Grammy nominations) and it�s surely only a matter of time before she�s a household name at home.
The CD is about more than Joss and the story behind it is well worth looking in to. The musicians are spot on and a joy to hear. The production is spare and actually lets you listen to the musicianship. All the elements here come together--singer, musicians, music, production, packaging, and pricing--to create a perfect storm that shows up everything that is wrong with the music industry today. The Soul Sessions matters in a way that music used to matter and none should think twice about picking up a copy. The Soul Sessions is a fine introduction to a young girl who is going to be one of 2004�s biggest stars. But The Soul Sessions has a spark beyond the album�s obvious good taste.
8/10
Tracklisting
1 The Chokin� Time
2 Super Duper Love (Are You Kidding Me?) Part 1
3 Fell In Love With A Girl
4 Victim Of A Foolish Heart
5 Dirty Man
6 Some Kind Of Wonderful
7 I�ve Fallen In Love With You
8 I Had A Dream
9 All The King�s Horses
10 For the Love Of You (Parts 1 & 2)
