I had heard a lot about Joss Stone way before i heard a lot of her music. Months before she began appearing on tv and radio, she was appearing in the newspaper and magazines, because there was a huge amount of publicity surrounding her. People couldnt believe that she was a white girl singing soul music and sounded so mature at the age of 16.
So when I heard her on the radio, i was very unaware that I was listening to Joss Stone. Probably a good thing as I appreciated her music for what it is, not for all the pubicity infuencing me.
It was her fusion of soul, jazz and a strikingly powerful voice that made her sttyle of music grow on me, as initially I hadnt been all that keen on it. However, her album contains a collection of songs that, when you first hear them, they all sound alike, but eventually you begin to pick out the best of them from the ones which dont really stand out.
Joss Stone is 17, although she was 16 when she recorded the album, already sounding and singing lyrics which some have said are much older than her years.
1... The Chokin’ Kind The first thing you notice about Joss' music is that there is not
much music to back up her voice. It works though, and draws you attention to the strength and uniqueness of her voice. And then slowly throughout the song it builds up bit by bit, while keeping it's very chilled out sound to it. Her voice is slightly raspy sometimes, textured and beautiful. Throughout the song she adapts her voice, changing its sound in some places, a talent which certainly adds a new dimension to what would otherwise be a lot more bland. The song is also accompanied by backing singers, as are most of the songs on the cd, which works well with her style and voice.
2... Super Duper Love This one is a lot more upbeat and summery with more of a jazz influence. Once again, her voice is louder, more powerful than the backing music, but it works well. This is definitely one of my favourites on the album, and as far as im aware, it is still her current release. It makes a great single, and im sure you have probably heard it somewhere.
3... Fell in Love with a Boy This is another one of my favourites, and I think it was her first release. Her voice sounds low and slightly husky, making the track sound sexy. Just as it starts to build up to the chorus, the tempo picks up and then slows a bit more when it gets to the chorus. Definitely one of the best on the cd.
4... Victim of a Foolish Heart This is a much more relaxed track than the previous one, far less upbeat, but again, it is another of my absolute favourites on this album. The lyrics are a narrative, telling a sad story about a bloke she loves, but then his ex-girlfriend comes back into the picture and is trying to get him back. The lyrics and tune are beautiful and slightly haunting.
5... Dirty Man I always listen to this song and think that the lyrics and story of the song are way older than her years. Its about, (yep, you guessed it...) a dirty man, and as she is only 16, the phrase 'cradle snatching' comes to mind. Anyway, there isnt much backing music to go with this one, mainly its just her voice, but it works well. I dont really know what it is supposed to be about, other than the obvious, which seems a bit sleazy, but she sings about sweeping dirt out of the house. Its all a bit strange really, and not really one of my favourites, but it is still pretty good.
6... Some Kind of Wonderful Joss Stone comes over all jazzy again with this song. Her voice sounds great in this one, and the tune isnt bad either. Its usually at this point in a cd, when you have just heard a weaker song that you expect the whole album to go downhill for a bit, or be rescued again by a really great track. Well, this one isnt really great or anything, but it certainly saves her from the downhill drop.
7... I’ll Fallen in Love with You Finally there is a bit more substantial backing music in this song, which come as a bit of a surprise and makes you notice when this song has started. One of the things about this album / style of music is that they all have quite a similar sound so you notice random little things like this. It is a bit slower than the previous few songs, and after a while it starts to get a little repetitive and uninteresting. Nothing changes really throughou the whole track. Its a bit of a filler.
8... I Had a Dream The start of this song also made me take notice. I cant really put my finger on why it just stands out from the past few others, but maybe its more pop sounding than more jazzy. The lyrics on this one arent really anything special, and overally this just seems like another filler.
9... All the King’s Horses Another weird one with unusual lyrics.It uses the words from the nursery rhyme and maybe someone thought it was clever to apply this sort of thing to a song about love, but it just isnt my thing. The tune is tedious too, and I wouldnt even call it a filler because its just too weird and you do remember it because of just that.
10... For the Love of You One word... LONG. Too long in fact. Something like 7 or 8 minutes. I cant even remember what the tune is like or they lyrics because I usually just skip it.
Overall, this album has pretty much everything. It starts great, has a few bad, boring ones which are just filler, it has weird ones, and it has a bad ending but having said that though, if I lost it I would probably buy it again because despite the weird/bad ones, its a great cd. Its like when the songs are good, they are great but when they are bad, they are forgotten.
Thanks for the read! Missarty :P
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Joss Stone is blessed with a strong voice and a will to sing old-school soul andThe Soul ... more
Sessionsis worthy of more than novelty status. Not every 16-year-old Caucasian, English girl can hang with the likes of Betty Wright ("Clean Up Woman") and Angie S...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Joss Stone is blessed with a strong voice and a will to sing old-school soul andThe Soul ... more
Sessionsis worthy of more than novelty status. Not every 16-year-old Caucasian, English girl can hang with the likes of Betty Wright ("Clean Up Woman") and Angie S...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Joss Stone is blessed with a strong voice and a will to sing old-school soul and The Soul ... more
Sessions is worthy of more than novelty status. Not every 16-year-old Caucasian, English girl can hang with the likes of Betty Wright ("Clean Up Woman") and Angie...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
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