Joss Stone: Mind Body & Soul

Elly Roberts reviews

Joss Stone:
Mind Body & SoulDistributed by
EMI (Relentless Records)

• Year: 2004
• Rating: 7/10
• Cat. No: 86620323

Track listing:

1. Right To Be Wrong
2. Jet Lag
3. You Had Me
4. Spoiled
5. Don’t You Wanna Ride
6. Less Is More
7. Security
8. Young At Heart
9. Snakes And Ladders
10. Understand
11. Don’t Know How
12. Torn And Tattered
13. Killing Me
14. Sleep Like A Child

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With new single, You Had Me, released mid-September, making No.9 in the charts, and now this album, Mind Body Soul, Joss Stone is set to continue last year’s success.

The Devon babe’s secondeffort continues with the same overall sound and feel. This time aroundthere’s no covers – it’s all originals. A tribute to the soul legends thathave influenced her over the years – in effect it’s a young voice doing oldsoul, and it works. Her parents’ music collection included The Beatles,Devo, Anita Baker and Tracey Chapman, however only the last two make anyinroads into her current repertoire.

She belts out songs like a Motowngoddess as found on track 7 – the gospel tour de force of Security. For oneso young – 18 years of age, she’s proved that she can mix it with the best.The first two tracks are mellow ; Right To Be Wrong and Jet Lag warming upthe sassy and raw larynx. Then on track 3, the single, she really lets rip,to an extent we never heard on last year’s multi – platinum Soul Sessions.It’s sophisticated funk and could make the dance floor yet. It’s somethingthat could dislodge diva Beyonce from the diva pedestal.

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Her image is not at the forefront of her ‘packaging ‘, and I hope to staysthat way. Visually, she she’s got the ‘mature diva ‘look, which sets herapart from the ‘slut – groupie ‘image her contemporaries have adopted. Musicshould speak for itself without the sickening hype. This does exactly that.Production is sublime, under the close mentoring of 70’s soul songstressBetty Wright who had considerable input the first time.

At times you detecta more contemporary R’n’B tangent (Young At Heart, Snakes and Ladders),which is sure to broaden her fanbase, and certainly targeted at the USmarket. Comparisons have been drawn with Dusty Springfield and ArethaFranklin, and rightly so. However, there’ll have to be far more commercialsingles to get her that truly global recognition.

Reggae ditty – Less Is More and Don’t You Wanna Ride (best of the lot, which should have been thesingle) are the closest we get it. Best songs of the 14 on offer – Don’tKnow How, Young At Heart, Security, Less Is More and Don’t You Wanna Ride.

Two years ago, Joscelyn Eve Stoker’s secret wish was to be 18. Now she isand she’s doing rather well thank you.

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