Joss Stone. The Soul Sessions

Yeah, it's good to see that at least SOMETIMES us Devonians can put something other than combine harvesters or expensive water bills on the map eh?

She is indeed a fox - miaow!

The album on vinyl sounds excellent too - bought it totally on spec a few weeks back. She should release a calander as well (had to lower the tone even further, but she IS legal!)

 

just

 

check out Rory Block

 

Well, legal's legal L'il mama!!!!

 

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. The video is a bit painful for her current one aswell, obviously playing on her devon roots, stick a bit of beach action in there.
But yes Dom....I would

 

Well isn't Joss the same manufactured pop, just slightly better disguised? Yes she sings, but not to her own songs or to her own 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. Her success proves that there is no justice in the music industry.

Do I believe she has talent? Well that is yet to be seen. She can certainly sing, but she will not catch my ear until she starts writting her own stuff. The album is a good imitation of the real thing, but goes no further, and shows nothing of what she's really about.

I can't deny she's hot though. But you get the feeling she been through a fair few to get where she is.

 

A similarity to Avril Lavigne there I suppose....

Damn those lucky A+R men , probably not though...I think her mum and her aunty manage her very closely from what I've heard in interviews.

 

SCIDB,

Thanks for the recommendations. Your thread prompted me to try out the Soul Sessions and I'm glad I did. I have been looking to get back into this genre of music so I will definitely be looking up your recommendations especially the Angie Stone one which I have heard a lot of good things about.




Enjoy the music,

Lawrie.

 

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?

I'm not aware of the racial angle in the marketing at all. I think the fact that she's young, female and very attractive has helped her but I think she'd have been just as successful IMO if she were black, young, female and very attractive.

How so?

Michael.

 

Eva Cassidy did mostly covers,and she had arguably the nicest voice ever

 

Hi Lawrie,

Here is another that I missed by Timmy Thomas. He played on the sessions as well. He had a massive hit with "why can't we live together" in the 70s. I haven't checked out much of his stuff so I don't know how good this is.

SCIDB

 

Hi,

Some interesting points made here.

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.

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.

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?

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.

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 don't think so. She was 15 when she was signed up. He mother is, I think, her personal manager.


SCIDB

 

manufacured or not - it's good record. she has a hell of a voice.

 

That's right - she has her own material and they wanted her to do the soul stuff after they heard her sing one at the audition.

BTW - Kate Bush was 15 when "Saxaphone song" and "The man with the child in his eyes" were recorded (in the month/year I was born IIRC!) and she writes her own material AND plays the piano; mind you, she doesn't seem to have done much of either since 1993's "The red shoes"

Yep, that's right; that must be awkward having your mum as your mum AND your boss! Though probably not as bad as my nephews and neices, having both parents as teachers - he he he!!!!

 

I guess most of our points will be answered by the test of time. No doubt she will improve as she settles into the role and her voice matures. I look forward to hearing her in years to come, she certainly has the potential to keep going if she chooses the right songs to sing and/or her own songwriting and general musicality develops along the right tracks.

 

SCIDB,

Thanks for that one. I'll let you know how I get on with the recommendations.

Something that I have been listening to a lot lately is the LP version of Blue Note Trip - SUNRISE which features Norah Jones (as you've never heard her before) & Charlie Hunter, Cassandra Wilson, Molly Johnson etc. See details here: http://www.musicline.de/de/product/724359361819 The material was taken from the vaults of Blue Note Records and the remix & production was done by Dutch DJ, DJ Maestro.



Enjoy the music,

Lawrie.

 

Oh well. I guess this helps Michael Cuscino finance rereleases of real Blue Note material from the archives. Coming soon, more Andrew Hill. Now that''s a good thing (even on CD).

 

This sounds like Blue Note's answer to Verve's "ReMixed" CDs.

Joel - you're a music snob

Michael.

 

Something that I have been listening to a lot lately is the LP version of Blue Note Trip - SUNRISE which features Norah Jones (as you've never heard her before) & Charlie Hunter, Cassandra Wilson, Molly Johnson etc. See details here: http://www.musicline.de/de/product/724359361819 The material was taken from the vaults of Blue Note Records and the remix & production was done by Dutch DJ, DJ Maestro.

lawrie

that's not the vault that's the in- box

 

OHMIGOD. Verve "Remixed".
Snob, moi? Yep