Joss Stone. The Soul Sessions

Hi,

This is the debut album by a 16 year old girl from Devon. The album has an old school southern (USA) soul style. Joss has caught much interest by singing in a soulful way that people have thought she was a black American singer. Praises such as the 'White Aretha Franklin" has been heaped on her.

The Soul Session is an interesting album. A number of veterans from the Southern Soul scene from the 60s & 70s appear on it. The songs on this album are mainly covers of 60s & 70s soul tunes. A number are fairly obscure. They are, on the whole, not easy to sing.

Playing on the album are a few soul greats & fine musicians. They feature the talents of Betty Wright, Latimore & Willie " Little Beaver" Hale & Timmy Thomas. Also appearing are Angie Stone & ?uestlove from the Roots. The production is headed by Betty Wright.

The album has 10 tracks.

1. The Chokin' Kind. This was a done to very effect by Joe Simon in 1969 & is handled very well by Joss. It's a classic southern soul song. Joss really gets into it without going over the top. Good emotional phrasing comes across without it sounding false.

2. Super Duper. This was by a guy called Sugar Billy. This mid tempo number with a good groove. A nice song. This suits her down to the ground. A very good toe tapper.

3. Fell in love with Boy. This is a version of the White Stripes song " Fell in love a girl". This is a slower more laidback version. One of the best on the album. This is the one that is going to be the next single. Joss shows good range on here & drives the song well with her vocals.

4. Victim of a foolish heart. This was a hit for Betty Swann. Joss doesn't quite hit the standard of Betty but she does more than good job. Her singing makes the song almost as enjoyable.

5. Dirty Man. Is Laura Lee song which Joss has a good attempt at doing. Joss hits a quite a good standard but you do get feeling that it could be better. The song does stretch her vocals a bit giving the feeling that Laura Lee should take over on the demanding bits. This doesn't mean it a technically a bad version just that you wished you were listen to the original.

6. Some kind of Wonderful. This was done by the Soul Brother six then by Grand funk railroad. This is a good version that is good to listen to.

7. I fallen in love with you. This was a Carla Thomas track. She was the Queen of Memphis Soul. Joss gets down with this one & puts in a good vocal preformance. The song flows very well.

8. I had a dream. John Sebastian did this at Woodstock. With Joss singing it comes across all right but it seems like something is missing. It's alright as an album track.

9. All the king's horses. This is a early 70's Aretha Franklin track. The tempo is upped a bit & Joss does her best Aretha vocal. Joss puts in a very stab at it but is not up to the Queen of soul's standard. But then not many are. The song grooves along and Joss is does very well on it.

10.For the love of you. This is a slower song by the Isley brothers. Here Joss shows of her vocal skills to the sound of a piano. She gives it a good go as well. She shows good range & singing ability. You can argue the song goes on too long & may be over the top for some but it's a relaxing end to an album.


As a big soul fan, I have found that I enjoyed this album very much. The overall effect was good. The singing style is different from a lot stuff you may hear on general release. The whole album is wonderfully performed by some top musicians & backing singers. This has made me try & dig out some of the original versions. Joss Stone is no Aretha Franklin but she is, IMO, a very good young talent. Her performance should get even better over time.

It's good to hear an album like this on general release. With good management & coaching, Joss Stone can get better. I look forward to her next album.


SCIDB

 

I too have this on CD. She has a great voice & style. Difficult to believe she's a young, white, middle-class Devonian. Good review.

 

Yeah great review Dean.

It's a good album no doubt, and a refreshing change from most mainstream pap. Still can't help thinking she wouldn't get a look in if she was 45 years old and black however!

 

Hi Michael,

I hope you had a good holiday.

You're right. There wouldn't have been a big fuss over a 45 year black singer. For example, Betty Wright who co produced the album & coached Joss Stone, could have sung the album better but it wouldn't have been of big interest to the mass market. That the way the music business is. Plenty of old soul/blues singers of yesteryear still release material. In a lot of cases it's hard to get to hear about it.

The music industry always likes things like white people doing black music. The golden egg is getting a white singer to sound like a black singer. Biggest example of this was Elvis Presley.

I understand Josh Stone is going to release an album of new material sometime this year. It will be interesting to see what it would be like.

SCIDB

 

Do let us know Dean if anything good pops up! I thoroughly enjoyed Solomon Burke's offering from last year, showed the old man still has what it takes!

I saw a movie on the plane out starring Cuba Gooding Jnr (yeah what happened to the music career ) about a black gospel choir. Can't remember the title, but some great music. It even has Melba Moore in it!!!

 

Hi Michael,

Try for starters.

Al Green. - I can't stop

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos...2000/sr=2-1/ref=sr_2_11_1/202-7582706-6996615

&

Sam Moore (of Sam & Dave fame) - Plenty Good Lovin'.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos...2064/sr=2-1/ref=sr_2_11_1/202-7582706-6996615


SCIDB

 

Good stuff Dean! Winging their way as I type. Thanks!

Now how do I get Dobie Brown "Out on the Floor" cheaply on CD?

 

Al Green, great suggestion Dean. A really fantastic singer from the great age of soul music. I don't know about the UK, but Al Green vinyl is fairly plentiful in these parts
Another singer from around that time whose work I really enjoy is Billy Paul. Me and Mrs Jones gets my vote as the Perfect Pop Song.
I agree with all the comments about the unfairness of the music industry. I think the music industry is racist - which is truely amazing since the music itself is based on black music, and virtually all the worthwhile trends in modern popular music originate with the black music scene.
I guess, however, that this "whiteism" is really a reflection of society. There is a long way still to go...

NP: Black Gold of the Sun by Rotary Connection

 

Hi Dean,
Al Green and Sam 'n' Dave and the Isleys (3+3) and marvellous Marvin Gaye and Aretha Franklin and and and... YES!
But,
I must disagree with Joss Stone, the most hyped 'serious artiste' in years! Undoubtedly she is technically very proficient and very 'personable' (harrumph!) but her style is far too mannered and derivative.
The closest she gets to emotional content is lifted lines, phrasings andf techniques of the past. She could have a great future as her covering of modern (White Stripes) material hints at but unless she can take her talent away from her current management and innovate she is doomed to the sort of 'career' that will only ever get mentioned in the Sunday supplements and 'Audiophile' threads.
10/10 for talent, 2/10 for application in my never humble opinion!

 

Nice one Dean.

You will bankrupt me with all these fantastic reccomendations. But like a junkie on crack, keep em coming mate

Tried to PM you, but your inbox is full BTW.


Cheers
Chris

 

Hi Chris,

I've cleared some space so PM away.

Glad you like the recommendations I have given. It's only the tip of the ice berg.

Michael,

I think you mean Dobie Gray. Out on the floor is a big Northern Soul Classic. I has appeared on many compilations over the years. I have it many times in my collection. I think I have it on green 7" vinyl somewhere. He also did 'Drift away' & 'In Crowd'

Have a look at these

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00004YU4L/ref=pd_ecc_rvi_4/202-3886663-0971836

&

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00005CBW6/ref=pd_sim_pm_dp_1/202-3886663-0971836

These are not too cheap but you may see them in the sales or 2nd hand. You may strike lucky in Fopp. They contain some quality uptempo soul music.

There have been cheaper dobie Gray cds but a number may be deleted.

This looks like an interesting one.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos...9156/sr=1-3/ref=sr_1_11_3/202-3886663-0971836

I have this on vinyl which is fun.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos...9156/sr=1-4/ref=sr_1_11_4/202-3886663-0971836

Joel,

Billy Paul with Me & Misses Jones. What a tune. I remember when I was a student in Leicester. Me & my house mate used to play this track all the time. Top quality stuff. Al Green Vinyl was very plentiful as Demon released mostl his 'Hi' albums on vinyl.

The points about the unfairness of the record industry are interesting. May start another thread on this subject.


Lord

having been in the music business for a good few years ( As a DJ), Josh Stone in not the most hyped person. There have been plenty that have been hyped more.

You make some interesting points which I would like to comment on later.

SCIDB

 

Got the CD the other day - great stuff. btw merlin, you forgot to mention that she's also quite a babe (sorry aobut lowering the tone :shame: )

Michael.

 

Michael you should be ashamed of yourself at your age! But it just goes to prove the "video killed the radio star" chain of thought.

It seems to me, that in the light of the phenomenal success of our Norah last year, the reord companies are desperately seeking a similar Cash machine. Still, generally a better state of affairs than more boy bands, although Katie Melua's latest is incredibaly cynical.

Real soul singers remain in the shadows sadly in this country, and the vocal performances of some of the new pretenders, whilst admirable and worth investigation, pale besides their forefathers and mothers IMHO. If you like the Stone recording, get out there and buy some "original 100% black". It'll make your head spin!

Dean, yeah sorry too many sherbets! Gray, Brown? who cares! They are both black!! If you've got the 7", it's worth a fortune BTW as I recall!

 

Hi Michael,

I don't have the original US 7" pressing on the Charger label. This is worth around £20. I have a early 80s re-release on the Inferno label. Corking stuff.

More on Joss Stone.

You need to put things into perspective. She is a 16 year, white girl from Devon. She only did this album because she sang an old soul song at her record company audition. She was all set to record an album of new material. It is refreshing to hear this style of music out in the mainstream. Her career is going to be new material & this album is a good way of her getting her foot on the popular music map. Also an album like this will get encourage some peple to hurt out the originals. If it helps boost the sales of Betty Swann or Laura Lee, then it's done it's job.

A lot of soul singers come from the States & are black. But there have been plenty of white singers who have sung in a soul style. This is known as Blue eyed Soul.

There have been plenty of white people who have made (or had big parts of) a career of doing black music or sounding black. People like the Righteous Brothers, Tom Jones, Paul Young, Lulu, Hall & Oates, Simply Red. Even Bowie had a bash. I used to like Paul Young when he was in the Q-Tips. They sang old soul & RnB songs. Very entertaining but not a patch on the originals. There was still merit in the music.

It is not easy to be a top notch soul singer. But there are still some good new ones out there. As always in soul, there are many styles & I think this is what throws alot of people. Black music has always been progressive & this is a reason why some singers disappeared off the map. They couldn't adapt to the change or newer artists were coming through.

There are a number of soul/ RnB acts old & new worth a listen.

I'll have to get a list going.

SCIDB

 

Not forgetting the "The Commitments" soundtrack from the 80s...what ever happened to them?

Michael.

 

Hi Michael,

The lead singer is still going strong. (excuse the pun)

BTW Josh Stone will be out on vinyl soon.

SCIDB

 

Got this album earlier this week.

Shes got a beltic soul voice, irrespective that she's young, white and from Devon.

Ive been getting into the soul classics these past couple of months (thanks to some cracking reccomendations!! ) ...

She's not up to the vocal calibre or Aretha, Bill Withers, Curtis Mayfield, Stevie Wonder etc IMHO... but maybe she's up to the level of, say, India Arie - which is pretty bloody good.

I hope she continues on, getting more and more vocal training and development. To sound this good under 20, makes me wonder what she will be like with a few more years under her belt.

A bit too ''close miking'' on a few tracks for my taste, but it doesnt spoil the album to me.

 

There's some incarnation of the Committments touring now I believe. Not sure who's in them. Bronagh Gallagher (Bernie in the film who was one of the backing singers) continued largely with the acting, landing bit parts in Divorcing Jack, Star Wars Episode 1 and Pulp Fiction, also toured with an Irish singer songwriter called Andy White in 2000, playing drums and doing backing vocals. One of the other backing singers, Maria Doyle Kennedy, has done a solo album which I've not heard. Aside of that, no idea.

 

Joss Stone - The Soul Sessions LP

Guys,

I have been listening to Joss Stone's The Soul Sessions on vinyl LP for a few weeks now and it is superb. I still find it hard to belive that the voice belongs to a 16 year old but she does deserve a lot of credit for 'keeping the SOUL alive' at her age. I hope we'll see a Soul Sessions II.

I watched a brief clip where soul veterans who appeared on the album were being interviewed and talking about their enthusiasm for Joss' voice/work on the album. This kind of music certainly makes a world of difference (for me anyway) from the TV manufactured pop & MTV crap that record companies have been dishing out lately.



Enjoy the music,

Lawrie.

 

Hi,

If you like the the 'Soul Session' stuff, check some albums by some of the people involved. There has been a number of packages been released.

Betty Wright.

She was the main driving figure behind the production & coached Joss with her singing. She is a very fine singer cutting some classy soul & funk records in the 70s. Try the TK years which is soon in the shops. Look here.
But try this one as it has the excellent "Clean up women" on it.

Little Beaver

He played guitar on the Joss Stone & was a regular on many Southern Soul sessions in the 70s. A new release covers alot of his stuff.

Latimore

He cut a number of soul albums in the 70s & 80s as well as playing keyboards on many sessions. He was big on the southern soul scene. Look at this for a taster.

Angie Stone.

She sang on one of the tracks of the album. She is an example of modern soul singing & production. Have a listen to

this one for a sample.


SCIDB