Hi,
Some interesting points made here.
Must admit I've only heard the singles but I get the impression she's trying a bit too hard at times. She has a great voice but it sounds slightly forced. In contrast to Alicia Keys for example.
That is a fair point. But this is all new to Joss. The album was, in truth, rushed together. She was down to sing more modern stuff but her label boss wanted her to do this album with the stars in the old style. I think she may have been 15 when some of it was recorded.
Comparison with Alicia Keys is, in a way, unfair. Alicia has been singing since 5 years old. She was a Choir major & attended Manhatten's Professional Performance Arts School. (Like on the film/series Fame). She has an excellent singing voice so most soul/RnB singers would struggle against her.
Well isn't Joss the same manufactured pop, just slightly better disguised?
Just about all Popular music is manufactured. Some more than others. On one hand, you have had artists who were a front for other people's talent & on the other hand, you had talented artists who were moulded into a act that would sell.
Artists from the Spice Girls to the Beatles to the Supremes to Run DMC to Led Zeppelin to Steps to ABBA, have all been manufactured &/or moulded to the finished articles they became.
What you must remember is that the music business is just that. A business.You need to make money. You need a business or game plan. It is a high risk low gain (most of the time) industry. But it can be a high gain one if you play your cards right.
quote:Originally posted by buffalosoldierz
She can certainly sing, but she will not catch my ear until she starts writting her own stuff.
Why? Many of the great soul singers from the past wrote little or none of their own stuff so why does she have to?
We covered this a while back in the "covers" thread - a good singer can't necessarily write songs and a good songwriter usually can't sing. Why must you limit yourself to the handful of people that happen to be good at both?
Well said Michaelab. Loads of artists have had very successful careers & all they could do is sing. I think it's a narrow minded approach to listening to music. Why do you have to write your own material or play your own instruments to make enjoyable music?
It would have been all good, until they started to market her as the talented young white neo-hippy type who has been rejected by black radio, because of her skin tone.
Says who? Any artists needs to be marketed. They need key points. A tune may get noticed by club play. Or it may get big radio play. Or big MTV etc video play. Or the artists could be featured in the press alot. Her record label gambled that doing a album of old style soul numbers would get her good press & publicity. Add to that she is from the UK, only 16 (at the time) & white. The fact is that very few people release albums like this sort of style. Popular black & black based music has moved on. This album has a hook due to it's style.
Add to this, the fact that she quite good looking and the album is quite a good effort. All this makes for good press & promotion.
As for being rejected for being white on black radio, there will be a number of black stations in the US which wouldn't play this. Not because she is white but because of the style of the music. There are plenty of black artists who don't get play on black radio due to the style of their music. Joss Stone has been featured alot on radio in the US which has helped to give her good Album placings in the charts.
Her success proves that there is no justice in the music industry.
In what way. There have been many injustices in the music industry and there always will be. These days a large number of black artists are getting the sort of success that very few of their forefathers had. More of the recent artists have better management. A number have made better money & been ripped off less.
I can't deny she's hot though. But you get the feeling she been through a fair few to get where she is.
I don't think so. She was 15 when she was signed up. He mother is, I think, her personal manager.
SCIDB
L'il mama!!!!
