Joss Stone - Introducing Joss Stone
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Artist: Joss StoneBrand: STONE,JOSS
Edition: Music CD
Audio: English (Original Language)
Published: 2007-03-09
CD Release Date: 2007-03-20
Music Label: Virgin Records Us
Soundtracks:
- Change (Vinnie Jones Intro)
- Girl They Won't Believe It
- Headturner
- Tell Me `Bout It
- Tell Me What We're Gonna Do Now feat. Common
- Put Your Hands On Me
- Music feat. Lauryn Hill
- Arms Of My Baby
- Bad Habit
- Proper Nice
- Bruised But Not Broken
- Baby Baby Baby
- What Were We Thinking
- Music Outro
Music reviews of Introducing Joss Stone
Music Review: INTRODUCING.........Pretty Much Nothing New!
Rating: 3 Stars
After having fallen in love with Joss Stone and her spirited, earthy voice following the release of her first two albums (2003'S THE SOUL SESSIONS and 2004's MIND, BODY & SOUL), I was really excited to see what she would do next. After her brilliant duet with Melissa Etheridge at the 2005 Grammys and her admission during a Gap commercial that the Beach Boys' "God Only Knows" was her all-time favorite song, the curiosity factor only increased. Would Stone really stretch, mixing her soul roots with new found rock ones? Would she pick up the crossover mantle so brilliantly defined 25+ years ago by Valerie Carter, an artist Stone owes much to? Sadly, the answer is no. With INTRODUCING JOSS STONE, this gifted singer actually seems to be (at the very worst) taking a major step backwards, or (at the very least) idling in the same spot. At times shrill, at times forced and, worst of all, at times coming across as nothing more than a Mariah Carey wannabe, INTRODUCING has very little of the charm, taste or imagination found on the first two albums (What's sort of ironic is the fact that the disc opens with a spoken word intro from actor Vinnie Jones about change, and having "the b*lls to change." Stone, it would seem, failed to heed her own call to arms). Things do start off nicely enough - "Girl They Won't Believe It" has a timeless, classic groove, a relaxed, sexy lead vocal and thoughtful lyrics, while "Headturner" (to quote some of it's own lyrics!) is a real "soul burner"; once again, there's a classic, sensual vibe to the track that just flows out of the speakers, never once coming across as forced or fake. This is a hit single waiting to happen! Next up is the album's lead-off single, the playful "Tell Me 'bout It." Powered by some whipsmart percussion and killer backing vocals, Stone's lead vocal dips and soars, all sweet and sassy......you can just hear the wink in her eye or the shake in her hips as that voice washes over you! Another winner! "Tell Me What We're Gonna Do Now" is just way too long, with a featured rap from Common that seems tacked on simply for added hip-hop cred. Stone has done this before, and done it better. Far superior is "Put Your Hands On Me." With it's crisp arrangement and subtle sax, there's a lightness and originality to the song that's lacking from a lot of the other tracks. Sadly, though, Stone turns in a some what spotty vocal...she starts out strong enough, but by the bridge and last chorus she slides into a shrill, almost shrieky, register (I fault producer Raphael Saadiq more than I do Stone, though....he should have caught this!). Still, with it's down-to-earth lyrics ("I can't explain/Can't comprehend/The world could reach it's very end and/And all I focus on is him") and crackling energy, this is probably INTRODUCING's premiere cut. As far as rapping guest stars go, Lauryn Hill and "Music" works much better than the aforementioned "Tell Me......"; there's a depth and maturity to the song that's absolutely stunning, with Hill's rap a thing of poetic beauty. Over the course of the song, Stone fills us in on what music means to her, while Hill lets us know what music IS. This is a love song of a different kind, on a whole other plane. Simply brilliant! It's at this point that things on INTRODUCING start going down hill. "Arms Of My BAby" is nothing more than an exercise in vocal gymnastics, with Stone all over the place on this retro rehash, while "Bad Habit" is funky, yet souless. We all know that, technically, Stone can definitely sing, but when there's no REAL emotion behind her vocal they just seem cold and mechanical (To make matters worse, she omits the best set of lyrics - "Oh, you're my cigarette/Even better you're my chocolate/A straight shot to the head" - from the recorded version!). "Proper Nice" has a smooth, easy-going groove to it, shuffling along at a relaxed, yet steady, pace. Stone wraps her pipes around some nice lyrics ("Like a star when it falls, lights up the sky/When I'm all alone in my world/I can feel you touching me"), delivering a lead vocal that is both assured and sexy. Diane Warren has written a lot of great songs....she's also written a lot of trite, cliche-filled throw-aways. "Bruised But Not Broken" falls somewhere in the middle, maybe leaning a tad bit more to the latter vs. the former. The main problem is, it's just too old of a song for Stone; it would probably work better in some older diva's hands. On the flip side of the coin, I don't think anyone could save "Baby, Baby, Baby", a track that's nothing more than an outtake (and a bad one at that!) fom a Mariah Carey session. Stone is so much better than this track, and both she and the people around her need to realize that. "What Were We Thinking" reaches for retro soul/R&B greatness, but comes up wanting. It's not that there's anything lacking in the vocal department.....Stone proves once again what a power house she can be. No, this time it's the arrangement's fault....what with the sappy strings and all, it's waaaay too over the top. A little jazzier instrumentation - say, a nice solo piano fill and some muted sax! - would have been cooler, plus it would have allowed Stone to stretch a bit more. Things wrap up with "Music (Outro)", where Stone states that "Music's my Mr. Right." Here's hoping that, with her next release, Stone decides to play the field a little bit more... we don't need another soul diva! No, what we need is someone who's willing to step out of the box and try something new....like a duet with Melissa Etheridge....or a Beach Boys song! Still, while INTRODUCING JOSS STONE may be a step backwards for this amazing talent, it is indeed only a baby step. I still believe Joss Stone is the real deal, and someone to keep an eye on (As with all my reviews, I'm giving the disc an extra half a star for including the lyrics).
Description of Introducing Joss Stone
U.K. vocalist Joss Stone will return this spring with her third album, "Introducing Joss Stone." Due March 20 via Virgin, the set was produced by Raphael Saadiq and features guest turns by Common ("Tell Me What We're Going To Do") and Lauryn Hill ("Music"). Other songs set to appear on the album include "Headturner," "Tell Me What We're Gonna Do Now," "Tell Me 'Bout It," "Nothing Better Than (The iPod Song)" and "I Wish I Never Met You." Additional contributions were provided by rapper/producer Novel (Kelis, India.Arie) and Beau Dozier, the son of Motown titan Lamont Dozier. "Introducing" is the follow-up to 2004's "Mind, Body & Soul," which debuted at No. 11 on The Billboard 200 and has sold more than 1.2 million copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.In the run-up to this, her third album, Joss Stone told a phalanx of glossy magazines that the difference between this disc and the two that preceded it was a newfound clarity of vision. Whereas the other records--their gold status notwithstanding--represented the fumblings of a huge-voiced kid being bossed around by experienced music-biz types, this one, she promised, would reveal the real her. Thus, the titular "introduction." To which anybody who spins the 14 groovy and fully unbuttoned tracks herein will wish to reply not "nice to meet you"--far too lame a sentiment for so fully realized a disc--but "Where have you been all my life?" As good as Joss Stone's previous efforts are, Introducing Joss Stone represents a giant step forward: there's a freshness to these songs that suits her age (19 as of the album's release) and a funkiness that suits modern pop sensibilities. There's also a cross-hatching of visions with artists like Lauryn Hill and Common that will rightly advance her reputation as an artist who can sling disco, R&B, and rock almost as convincingly as soul. Splicing girl-group harmonies with blaxploitation-style funk with Joplin-esque and, at times, Shelby Lynne-reminiscent vocals, Stone works these Raphael Saadiq-produced beats with the stealth and steadiness of a '70s-era legend who's still going strong. "Girl They Won't Believe It," she wails against the tight hoo-hoo harmonizing of talented backup singers on the opening track; get a load of how much she's accomplished in the space of three albums, and you won't believe it, either. --Tammy La Gorce
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