Customer Reviews

Introducing Joss Stone (CD+DVD)

5 star:		(64)
4 star:		(43)
3 star:		(27)
2 star:		(23)
1 star:		(22)

 

 

Joss Stone is an original. Her gritty, visceral, sensual voice is unforgettable. It is amazing to hear a young, white British female vocalist sing R & B. I first heard Joss Stone in July 2007 during the special televised fund-raiser sponsored by Prince William and Prince Harry on behalf of Princess Diana on her birthday. Next, I heard Joss Stone sing "Put Your Hands on Me" on Jimmy Kimmel Live. It was then I knew I had to buy some of her music.

My favorite tracks on this CD are: "Tell Me 'bout It", "Put Your Hands on Me", "Baby, Baby, Baby", "Tell Me What We Gonna Do Now", "Bruised but not Broken", and "What Were We Thinking". Most of the lyrics are written by Joss Stone and Rapheal Saddiq (one of the muscians) which proves she is multi-talented and creative. Her down-to-earth, tell-it-like-it-is style is highly appealing. Her smoky, sultry voice is unforgettable. I deduct one star for the Intro called "Change" done by Vinnie Jones which detracts from quality of the CD. It is a turn off and does not set a good example for the contents of the CD, most of which is excellent. Erika Borsos [pepper flower]

Joss Stone is back with a transatlantic accent, in both her spoken and singing voice.
It is clear from the outset that this artist is desperate for the world to know, this is the "new" her. .
Featuring a pretentious intro by Vinnie Jones, the Devon lass is implying that she is now a ballsy soul star with a new sound. The red hair and tattoo on the front cover hammers this home, in case you didn't know already.
Her voice still has all the right moves, although she has started to do the 'Mariah thing' - in that each note is stretched to breaking point, taking the energy and replacing it with a 'hear me now' wail.
Lauryn Hill from the Fugees makes special guest appearance on one of the 14 new tracks.
So much so that a line "Watch Me Walk" sounds like "Watch me wail." The single "Tell Me Bout It" out has a touch of the old skool about it, but for all the hype - it is begged and borrowed rather than 'new'.
There is the odd gem which stirs you, like "Tell Me What We're Gonna Do Now" in which the soulstress is more restrained and these tracks benefit from this as they have heart.
But too often, the album tries to be all things to all people. So we end up with a little of Janis Joplin, Mariah, Whitney, Aretha and many other great female singers. Imitation is flattering for these women.
But it also means that the real Joss Stone needs to stand up.
This begs the question, if we are being introduced to this soul star for the first time, who is she?

Neo-Soul Singer Joss Stone is not like others, she's white, she's British and born in 1987 she's young enough to be the daughter or even grand-daughter of the likes of Aretha Franklin and Diana Ross. But she's a young girl with a big voice and she always tried to be faithful to the original 60's soul without alot of adcanced productions like most others do. Debut album titled "The Soul Sessions" a album with only covers was released when she was only 16 and became a smash hit. Joss powerful soulvoice seduced millions of people and she had gained an audience and a great reputation almost instantly. Second album "Mind Body and Soul" followed the same trends of her debut but didn't have any covers included. However, all of the songs had the sound of 60's music even if they were newly penned originals, some even by herself. On her third album titled "Introducing Joss Stone" she claimes this is the real Joss Stone where she can finally do what she wants without record pressure and thus introducing the real Joss Stone as an music artist. This raises an interesting question though. What was the other critically aclaimed albums? and is this really that much diffrent from the other two?. The first question is impossible to answer unless you're Joss Stone but the second is simple if you've listened to this album. No, it really isn't that diffrent then her others. What makes it diffrent is that Neo-Soul singer/producer Raphael Saadiq produced it and thus introducing advcanced studio recording equipments instead of the session musicians with live instruments she used on previous albums. The sound is diffrent and much more modern now. obviously Ms. Stone wanted to apply to a younger more contemporary audience and sound like a girl from 2007 and not 1967 and give Xstina a run for the money.

It all starts with an cameo from ex-Football player turned actor Vinnie Jones about change, it may be good promotion but to me it sounds like nonsense if you want to be taken seriously. First song, "Girl They Won't Believe It" is surprisingly good and sounds diffrent from most of the rest here with a smoother sound, more fammiliar. First single "Tell Me About It" is another strong number, but quite repetitive. "Tell Me What We're Gonna Do Now" feautures Common and "Musiq" feautures Lauryn Hill and further gives evidence of a more modern Joss Stone with right on the spot cameos. Both of the two are great and from time to time I get an impression of how Joss wants to record an album simular to Lauryn Hill's. Most other songs along the way sounds like a mixture of her old 60's inspired music with a fresh contemporary sound. Song number 11 "Bruised by Not Broken" a soul-ballad written by Diane Warren is diffrent and also the closer "What Were We Thinking" which is a ballad aswell.

The problem with this album is simular to what she had in the past, not too many memorable songs and too much oversinging. Joss Stone's magnificient voice is normally what made the diffrent but with further songs that rely on a heavy production it sometimes feels like her voice is no longer in the spotlight, and even if she's great as always vocally it not always sufficient. The songs like I mentioned are all worthwile but too much on the rest goes into one ear an out of the other. She claimed this is the "Real" Joss Stone but it really isn't better then her past two records nor does she sound like a an grown up artists ready to be laucnhed but rather like an young artist in search of the right sound and songs. Saadiq makes a good effort in providing the sound, which is indeed fresh and modern, but it still lacks good memorable songs that can suppurt her voice. Instead we get an album heavy on production and oversinging that isn't the best way of introducing yourself, especially not when this is your third album and far from extraordinary. I believe Joss Stone will come back stronger with her next album since she is in the middle of a "search" and far from a complete product yet. She's a great artist with a wonderful voice but even the greatest of voices needs good support and that what this album is lacking.

Joss Stone is back with a new album this year. When i first found that out I was scared. Sure she has an amazing voice. But her last CD was so boring. She speeds it up a lot on this one with a great collection. Neo 60's soul with some pop fushion. Great CD.

The key tracks are: Put Your Hands One Me, Tell Me Bout' It, Girl They Won't Believe It.

This girl is new and real! Living in the US I am over Christina, Brit, Fergie, and oh so over Mariah. We are left with the amazing Alicia Keys to provide us quality music. Then comes Joss. She sounds just as amazing live as she does recorded. I don't care if she is sampling old school music and artist. IT SOUNDS GOOD! WE LIKE IT! I can put on her CD's and just get lost in her voice. I hope she kepts up her sound and doesn't sell out and become a pop tart!

Well, I'll admit it... I loved the old Joss and I love the new Joss too. I can definitely tell the difference between Joss singing songs that are too old for her and that she doesn't personally relate to (see Soul Sessions and, to a lesser extent, Mind, Body and Soul) and Joss singing songs of her (and Raphael Saadiq's) making, which mean something to her (see Introducing). This album is much more Joss's age, and it's smokin'. I think the production is fantastic (how could any one think that any number of layers of instrumentation could overpower Joss's voice?), and the whole thing has a contemporary/classic R&B feel that is just so fun to groove to.

But her voice is what gets me. I like Christina Aguilera's and Kelly Clarkson's voices too, but I don't like their material as much, and they just don't have the feel of soul in the way that Joss does. It's not being able to do anything with your voice, it's knowing what to do and what not to do with it that makes a soul singer. And I'll tell you what, I could sing along with the first two Joss albums (being a fairly talented soul singer myself) and I can't sing along with this one. It's just too hard. But it still sounds great. I get annoyed by too much warbling as much as the next person (paging Beyonce and Christina), but I just don't think she does that.

In fact, the only issue I'll take with Joss is that she does the same thing I do sometimes-- she tries to hit some notes that she's just better off not hitting. When you really have to scream, and torture the vowel sound, to hit a note, it just doesn't sound as good as you think it does. Joss pulls it off, nearly every note, in a way that I don't, but she doesn't have to do it. She's fantastic enough in the octaves she does have.

Also, I think maybe she's a bit young to be sitting naked on a 41-year-old man's lap (in the picture under the CD) but it is a pretty hot picture.

Overall, this is a smokin' album. One reviewer put it best when they said that it should be played on someone's boombox on a stoop. That's the kind of album it is. Like some of you, I liked old Joss too, but I don't think that R&B stopped being good in the '70s, so I welcome this album's mixture of the classic and the contemporary.

I knew I was in trouble when the first cut started and instead of Joss I get some guy telling me about how you need balls to change. I didn't buy the cd to hear guys talking but to hear joss singing. I have listened and liked joss from her first cd and her live performances are transcendent. I checked all the reviews and there's a love it or hate it feel to them. Joss is a talented young woman and if this is her sound all I can say is good luck girl and catch you later. One thing thought I will say is that on this cd she loses her freshness. There's nothing here that stands out, no cut that I want to play over and over. There's a sameness to it like a million other young wanna be's. When a women has got the pipes and Joss has got them the trick is less is better.
You don't need the backup singers, the guys rapping and the heavy back beat all you need is Joss. Some time it takes more balls to go it alone then with a whole crew.

I bought both of Joss' first albums and wore them both out. I even got my husband listening to her! Those Cd's (Soul Sessions and Mind, Body & Soul) are always in the CD changer. I pre-ordered this CD based on my previous experience with this artist and I wish I hadn't. I really hate to say it...because I will continue to listen to and enjoy her first two CD's....but I wish I would have saved the 10 bucks and fed myself at Subway or McDonalds twice instead. As my husband said, her voice is lost in all the background "junk" and the band sounds like some local house band......I can see some dude sitting at the drums...pumping his foot on the pedal.....it just sounds so amateur. I was really surprised because the album received such great reviews. I was very surprised to see that other people gave it four or five stars. Her voice is buried in the base of each song....and if this is her "introduction"...I can't help getting the feeling that she got stuck on the same beat and in the same rythm. It was BORING. Almost every song sounds appallingly similar and they make me think of 20 inch rims with spinners and someone passing by with the base booming. Almost as if the base was the whole point of each song. What TALENT wasted and buried in JUNK! If you want to hear her voice.....turn the base down first and then strain to see if you can hear it. Like I said, I am so disappointed. And if she comes out with another album, I would definitely listen to the samples of the songs first before I pay for another CD. This CD will go with a few others in my collection that collect dust. Owning over 500 CD's....possibly 20 to 30 I don't listen to. This will be one of them. I am almost sad about it!!! I was so excited to get this CD! Bummer!

Joss Stone debuted in 2003. Her soulful, powerful voice made her sound far more mature than her 16 years of age. Despite her youth, she has already released 2 albums, and performed on stage at the Grammys. This is her third release.

As mentioned before, she has already released 2 albums before this one, so this album certainly isn't "introducing" her. Instead, she chose Introducing Joss Stone as the title because she said her first 2 albums were made under pressure from her label (though that does contradict the story of how her first album came about). Now 19, she had much more control over the direction of this album. Despite that, and the inclusion of some big names like Raphael Saddiq, Common, and Lauryn Hill, the album doesn't sound too far away from her previous ones. The only difference between this album and her previous ones is that she had a much bigger role in writing the songs than she has before. There are a couple of very good songs, such as Put Your Hands on Me and Tell Me What We're Gonna Do Now. But most of the album, while it sounds decent, doesn't rise above the glut of R & B music that you can find anywhere else. And Stone, while her voice is still very good, isn't good enough to make the songs better just with her voice alone. Also, the songs are basically about how much she loves your boyfriend, how he broke her heart, and the struggles of being a famous singer. In other words, the usual fare of most albums like this.

Overall, it's a decent album, but certainly not the departure from her previous ones that she would like you to believe. Stone has undeniable talent, but unfortunately she seems to have settled for being just another R & B singer, and turns out a pretty run-of-the-mill album.

What better way for a teenage girl to reintroduce herself than with a soliloquy from footballer Vinnie Jones. Um, yeah, okay. Of course we Americans would call him a soccer player best known for his hilarious turn in Eurotrip. Joss Sone named her latest album the Introducing of Joss Stone because as she says the album is the first that is "truly her," granted I though she was saying pretty much the same thing about her last album after debuting with an album of cover songs. But anyways.

Even though the album is supposed to reintroduce us to Joss Stone, the album doesn't sound that different from her past album with Joss goring through neo-soul and Motown era R&B tracks with Aretha Franklin type vocal gymnastics. The biggest changes happened behind the scene. First, unlike her last album that sported seven different producers, there are only two credited on the latest outing, Stone and Raphael Saadiq.

With Saadiq being a master of neo-soul (some credit him as starting the trend), the blame most likely fall on the shoulders of Stone herself as the songs tend too far into the hip-hop genre making the songs sound like all the other bland pop songs littering the radio these days. Maybe a little worse as some of the song fall flat in places. The hip-hop flavor is sometime saved by masters of the genre like Common on Tell Me What We're Gonna Do Now and Lauryn Hill even comes out of hiding for Music, giving a much more inspired verse than the much ignored Fugees reunion song.

The other big change is that Joss took complete reigns of writing the songs, which in this case is not a good thing. Joss is an incredible singer but much like the karaokers on American Idol, her strength is not creating melodies on her own and does a much better job when she has a template to work off of. So much like post-Idol albums where the karaokers have to sing their own songs, Introducing Joss Stone fall flat, albeit Joss's voice does save thing a little unlike the karaokers who are unable to get a record contract without appearing on a reality show. Maybe it time too think about hooking up with ?uestlove for a second Soul Session.