Every music listener has had it happen to them one time or another. Imagine being in the bedroom blasting the latest purchase from Virgin Megastore and one of the parental units bangs on the door and demands that the volume be restored to a reasonable level.
This may lead to a discussion about the sad state of music today. Now listeners can understand what their parents were talking about. Joss Stone’s “The Soul Sessions” is a new generation’s answer to our prayers from the music gods. This 16 year-old Brit has a voice the size of Aretha; and she’s white.
Stone has recruited many greats from the soulful era of the ’70s who have lent a hand in production of her album. Some of these names include Betty Wright, who is a co-writer on the album, who has been in the music industry for 24 years and has worked with the likes of KC of KC and the Sunshine Band and Angie Stone (no relation to Joss Stone) among others. Stone is also joined by amazing musicians on the instrumental side. Some of these geniuses behind the music include Latimore, Little Beaver, Timmy Thomas and Cindy Blackman.
Stone’s lyrics are far beyond her 16 years. It makes you wonder where she gets the emotion to sing these touching songs. One song that especially stands out is the first track on the album. Stone sings “I only meant to love you/didn’t you know it baby/didn’t you know it/why couldn’t you be content with the love I gave?/I gave you my heart/but you wanted my mind/your love scares me to death boy/it’s the chokin’ kind.”
On this song, the guitar is the most dominant instrument. You can almost imagine Stone singing in a smoke filled bar with her audience staring in awe.
Stone doesn’t just concentrate on the ’70s, she also travels to present time in “Fell in Love With a Boy,” which is a cover of the White Stripes’ song. This “remix” features instrumental backing from The Roots and vocals by Angie Stone. Stone not only borrows from musicians from another era, but she also does a good job covering their records. She covers records like Aretha Franklin’s “All the King’s Horses,” the Isley Brothers’ “For the Love of You” and John Sebastian’s “I Had a Dream.”
Another standout track is “I’ve Fallen in Love with You.” This is the ultimate love song for a couple. She sings “I’ve fallen in with you/Please tell me/tell me what else was there to do/when feeling lips like yours and looking in to eyes like yours/oh I might as well face it cause it’s true/I’m falling in love with you.”
“The Soul Sessions” is a must have for any music fan’s collection.
