Mind Body And Soul - Joss Stone > Reviews > Joss should be stoned for this.

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Average
Lyrics	Standard
Quality and consistency of tracks	Mixed
Value for Money	Satisfactory

Advantages:	Five good tracks .
Disadvantages:	Ten mediocre or weak tracks .

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Mind, Body & Soul is Joss Stone's 2nd album. From reading a little about this album she apparently saw it more as 'hers' than the first album 'Soul sessions'. This is evident in the lyrics of the first song 'Right to be wrong' where she sings "I've got a right to be wrong, my mistakes will make me strong", and goes on to change that second line in one verse with "Gotta sing my own song".

This is altogether a rather more mature offering than her first album, not that this means it is better. I certainly loved the use of vocals on the first album and the retro soul style.

Anyway the notoriously difficult second album, does she cut it?

Track 1. Right to be wrong.
Lyrically great if you are 30 and been beholden to a record company for years, or a partner, but c'mon, she was one year on from a platinum selling CD, and moaning about stuff. I feel this is a self indulgent song with double meanings throughout. That being said, musically and lyrically it is strong, keeping a soul heritage, bit more R & B than previous offerings. 7/10.

Track 2. Jet Lag.
Starts really well, easy, soulful, nice drum and piano backing, guitar enters, pace picks up, then the chorus comes in for the first time. Very smooth, lyrics fit, backing singers fit, music is really good, violins coming in. It is just a bit too smooth, feels a bit manufactured and 'pop'. Not in any way risky or different, pleasant and that is about it. 6/10.

Track 3. You had me.
This is better. Upbeat, funky, tells a good story with the lyrics. Somehow reminds me of Earth, Wind & Fire, really nice use of lead and base guitar riffs. Much raunchier use of Stone's voice too. Like this. 8/10.

Track 4. Spoiled.
Another ballad, again really soulful. This is much more reminiscent of the first album and is a very strong track. Very catchy and 'contagious' chorus which for a chorus is quite different musically as it changes pitch and speed at the end of each chorus. The song really builds throughout getting stronger as it goes on. Her voice is the showpiece again here, which is where the main strength of the first album lay. This is not to say the music is not good, it is, it's as if more instruments 'join in' as the song progresses, so her voice has to match this and does. Class. 9/10.

Track 5. Don't cha wanna ride.
When I first heard this I did not like it much, as it seemed a bit of a mish mash of funk, soul and pop. It has grown on me, real hook of a chorus and a foot tapping melody. Not a 'special' track by any means, but a decent offering. Very 70's guitar funk. 6/10.

Track 6. Less is more.
Really quite interesting song this, definite reggae back beat, strong base line, and her voice works really well with this. The most original of any song I had heard from her up to this point. Still R&B, still soul and yet, not! 9/10, for originality if nothing else.

Track 7. Security.
Musically and vocally good, but we've heard it before, it is like an amalgamation of her songs and almost predictable lyrics, in fact it would be hard for most folk not to like it, I aint most folk. Last minute of the 4.30 makes it worthwhile, real belter then. 5/10.

Track 8. Young at heart.
Oh dear. Never really takes off. Nice, and that's about it. 3/10.

Track 9. Snakes and ladders.
Quite a 'cool' song, maybe too cool. It feels like she has tried to hard to make this an accomplished song. Music is good, she uses her voice quite well to 'work' the song up, but the lyrics again, oh no, just boring and manufactured. I rarely listen to this the whole way through, boring!. 2/10.

Track 10. Understand.
Back to a strong song again. She sings these 'pleading' ballads really well. She works so well with minimal backing and here she has an acoustic guitar for most of the song. Lyrics are strong, the listener 'gets it'. About halfway through the song she changes key and sings an about an octave higher (at least it seems that way) before dropping again for the chorus. She is singing a message to her lover and it really works. Builds well without 'exploding'. Gets really soulful toward the end, great use of vocal range and backing music and singers. Very nice. 8/10.

Track 11. Don't know how.
I really don't know what to make of this track. It is not good, yet it has all the ingredients, good music, good voice, story, differing pace and pitch. Oh why doesn't it work? 2/10.

Track 12. Torn and tattered.
Not even close to some of her offerings: very noticeable drum beat throughout, backing of funky guitar riffs, voice builds well, bit like the last song, should work, but doesn't. Another 2/10 I'm afraid.

Track 13. Killing time.
Nice n funky, she seems to enjoy singing this, I have no evidence for this, it just 'seems' like it. Bit different in that both the music and her voice changes throughout the song. It feels like something from a high end musical. It builds very slowly so that you almost don't realise it has built. I like this, but commercially it would never get anywhere, a definite album track. Backing singers become gospel like toward the end, nice. 6/10.

Track 14. Sleep like a child.
A track that lasts for 15 and a half minutes, at least that is what is says on the CD. I get the feeling she wants to be Mary J Blige when she is singing this, crossed with the song writing of George Michael. Slow and powerful, then 5 minutes in, silence. I don't get it, we then get nearly 10 minutes of nothing before the bonus track kicks in. I don't know if this is deliberate, whether I've got a faulty disc or what, but is so annoying it just spoils the song that I have just listened to. 1/10.

Track 15. Holding out for a hero (bonus track).
Great strong ending; piano and voice, really good. Her voice is full of emotion as she sings and it just cuts. Like it. 8/10.

Final thoughts:
At least 10 of the 15 tracks are mediocre to bad. Five strong tracks, which are pretty darn good. For a second album she never really did much good in my opinion. Maybe it is because the first album is so strong I don't know. It is strange because I don't remember it being this bad when I bought it and I am left feeling a bit disappointed. Not her best, my advice: Get tracks 3, 4, 6 and 10 off itunes, cheaper and far more satisfying than listening to the rest of it!

The cover is not up to much and the internal booklet is boring too.

Also posted on Dooyoo. Same member name.