Every year, I find a new recording artist who does something special and knocks my socks off with a new, amazing record. Last year, Norah Jones caught my attention with her amazing piano and jazz stylings; Avril Lavigne was also a great newbie at the beginning of 2003. For 2004, I think that honor has to go to Joss Stone.

At first, I was a little skeptical about the "new sensation" being touted out there – the recording industry is notorious for creating its flavor-o'-the-month hype for young artists whose careers are shorter than Jack’s relationships on Will & Grace. More so, the industry has suddenly found the blues and jazz scene to be in vogue, sending a bevy of nubile young talent to fit the music du jour.

However, my first listen to Joss’ work on WXPN – our local listener-supported music station – opened my ears. After hearing Super Duper Love, I knew this girl was something special. First, you would never imagine that the voice you hear is coming out of a 16-year-old white British girl – the sound is too mature, too soulful for that. Nonetheless, Joss is a newcomer in all respects.

[history]
This album is actually almost an accident. It seems that Joss Stone was recording an album of original tunes (I'm DEFINITELY looking forward to that), when she had the opportunity to meet some of the big players in old soul music, including Betty Wright.

Inspired by those meetings, Joss went to Philadelphia, where she met up with The Roots. They cut one track there, and within four days, this collection of re-grooved soul hits was ready.

[track listing]
1. The Chokin' Kind (Harlan Howard) - the first track grabs you immediately with a fantastic vibe and Stone's sultry voice - straight out of 70's R&B, she pulls you in and lets you know that you are in for some great music.

2. Super Duper Love (Sugar Billy) - this song is simply great; I can just imagine it playing at DISCO INFERNO at the Fox Theater in Boulder. The groove and the music are fantastic. Having never heard the original, I can say how it compares, but I DO know that this song is a great one for the car ride.

3. Fell In Love With A Boy (White Stripes) - this song is getting most of the play right now, and I have to guess that a good portion is because the White Stripes are hot themselves. But Joss makes this song her own as her voice weaves in and out, creating a tapestry of R&B.

4. Victim Of A Foolish Heart (Bettye Swann) - to me, this sounds like a Teddy Pendergrast song. Joss slows down to belt out this great one - you can just imagine the disco ball, slow dances and butterfly collars.

5. Dirty Man (Laura Lee) - tone is a little folky blues on this track, and she pulls it off beautifully. She sinks into the blues as wonderfully as she did the soul on the earlier tracks.

6. Some Kind Of Wonderful (Marvin Gaye) - everyone and their mother has done this song, and Joss does a good cover of original with heavy blues influence. Her voice seems a little disinterested in this song - although she can obviously do the blues, her performance lacks conviction here.

7. I've Fallen In Love With You (Carla Thomas) - she is still riding the wave a bit here, as she moves back into the soul genre. The song itself is a good one, with some interesting orchestration at beginning and great backing vocals.

8. I Had A Dream (John Sebastian) is a beautiful ballad reminiscent of Whitney Houston. Starting as almost a capella, the music comes in later and adds to a soft, hearty soul that crashes int about halfway through and finishes beautifully.

9. All The King's Horses (Aretha Franklin) Okay - anyone who wants to take on Aretha directly is in for a challenge. So Joss doesn't quite show up the original, but she does a capable job on this song. Not one of the best efforts on the album, but the backing efforts of Betty Wright definitely help out.

10. For The Love Of You (Isley Bros) - her voice is good and pure on this song, but I didn't like the rhythm. Not sure if background music is good or bad, but I just didn't like this tune.

[the album]
From the first notes of the disc, I was in high anticipation. Too often, I find myself disappointed by albums when the singles you hear turn out to be the best tracks on the album (Sarah McLachlan's Afterglow comes to mind…). Not so here - The Chokin' Kind bursts onto the scene like a veteran temptress teasing the flyboys in a mid-town club – you can almost hear the captured breath of the audience listening, captivated. From there, it goes on to provide a great album with only a couple of songs that don't live up to the hype. Instead, she exceeds the vibe I got from the radio.

Every 16-year old singer should be as long as Joss Stone. Among others, she gets the pleasure of singing with the aforementioned Betty Wright ("Clean Up Woman"), Angie Stone, Questlove from the Roots, Cindy Blackman (Lenny Kravitz' drummer), Benny Latimore, Willie "Little Beaver" Hale, Timmy Thomas and Jack Daley. Quite a line-up for a debut album by a 16-year old white girl from Devon, England.

Much of the album benefits from her surrounding cast, but it is Stone who provides the fuel for this performance. Her voice and presentation far exceed her years and I can only hope that we continue to see great things from this young singer in the future.

[album cover]
As a designer, I have to say that I found the cover design of this disc to be just about perfect. Now, I'm not a great fan of the 70's motif overall, but this album does it right. The front cover shot harkens back to an old Billie Holiday cover, but with that 70's soul feel. The inner cover and the disc continue the 70's LP look magnificently.

Lastly, the back cover is brilliant, taking the form of an old jukebox song listing. It's simple graphical format, but for this album - particularly the music and the performance on it - it just works. I don't usually talk about the covers much, but this one had to be pointed out.

[final thoughts]
The material isn't new, but Stone does a great job of making it her own. Some efforts are better than others - Some Kind of Wonderful stands out as perhaps the most lackluster performance – but overall it is a GREAT album to absorb some good soul while driving, reading or just hanging out.

Recommended: Yes

Great Music to Play While: Reading or Studying