From the word dot Joss Stone has had an obsession, an obsession with music. It’s her first love and without a doubt it’s soul music that sparked her passion for singing and song-writing. As a 13 year old girl she sang her way into the music industry with her take on the classics usually sung
From the word dot Joss Stone has had an obsession, an obsession with music. It’s her first love and without a doubt it’s soul music that sparked her passion for singing and song-writing.
As a 13 year old girl she sang her way into the music industry with her take on the classics usually sung by Soul legends Aretha Franklin and Gladys Knight, by 15 she was signed to S-Curve records and her 16th year saw the release of the eponymous Soul Sessions album.
The Soul Sessions rocketed up charts across the world and bought old school anthems to the fore where they had previously been left unloved and forgotten in many a person’s record collection. Anthemic tunes such as Super Duper Love put Stone on the map and Dirty Man displayed vocals far beyond her years while kicking off a music revolution that sparked a new interest in female artists with cracking vocals.
Stone’s second record, 2004’s Mind Body & Soul capitalized on The Soul Sessions’ commercial momentum and critical adoration and earned Stone three Grammy nominations, including one for Best New Artist. It also spawned a self-penned UK Top 10 single, You Had Me and earned her Two Brit Awards that same year.
2007 saw in Stone’s third album which she co-wrote and performed with a plethora of talented artists and writers such Lauryn Hill and Raphael saadiq and rapper common. Introducing Joss Stone showcased an independent spirit and revealed the singer had truly been embraced by the American audience when it crashed into the US charts at No.2, marking the highest debut ever for a female British solo artist on the Billboard charts.
With over 11 million album sales to date and a wealth of experience under her belt, including recent collaborations and performances with Jeff Beck, Nitin Sawhney , Mavis Staples, Yolanda Adams and Patty labelle …
Looking to break the shackles of the corporate music industry, Joss gave a clear hint with the album Colour Me Free in 2009. Recorded in a matter of weeks at her Mum’s club in Devon, it was the final big-label contribution from the singer. “We did not have anything,” the singer says with a laugh. “We were bashing in walls to get the equipment in, recording in different rooms. We couldn’t hear each other but we had a blast!”
LP1 saw a new, mature Stone come to the fore of her own record label, Stone’d Records. With renewed creative vigor she set off to collaborate with Dave Stewart at Martina Mcbrides recording studio in Nashville for a week long jam that culminated in a critically acclaimed album that many touted as her best yet.
Alongside her solo projects Stone was also collaborating with industry heavyweights Mick Jagger, Damian Marley, A.R. Rahman and Dave Stewart. The album and band, both titled Super Heavy hit the shelves in 2011.
10 years on from the stunning debut sessions, Joss decided to bring things full circle and revisit where it all began. She followed her multi-million selling debut with The Soul Sessions Volume 2. The premise was the same… find some incredible soul classics that may well have been forgotten. The team was similar… Steve Greenberg and S Curve were back on board and Stone’s long time colleague Steve Greenwell was sat in the sound engineer’s seat. But one thing had changed; Stone’s voice had matured over the preceding decade and the feeling and raw emotion she displays with incredible vocals quite rightly was praised across the globe.
In her short young life and already long career, Joss has performed onstage with the likes of James Brown, Gladys Knight, Solomon Burke, Blondie, Smokey Robinson and Melissa Etheridge among many others. She’s contributed to albums by Jeff Beck and Ringo Starr, played the Super Bowl pre-game show, performed on the Grammy’s, – and indeed won a Grammy herself!
In her twenty-six years she’s participated more moments of absolute musical wonder than most people can hope for in an entire lifetime. And she’s approached it all with a sense of independence and joie de vivre. Stone has always been a bit of a rebel, whether she’s dancing barefoot onstage or dyeing her hair various colours or speaking out on issues she’s passionate about, part of what her fans love about her is that she’s a free-spirit, following her own instincts at all times.
So what’s next for Stone? Having taken a much needed break after releasing two albums in quick succession, she’s got her sights set on the world, the whole world. Stone is currently putting together plans for a world tour that visits every single country (yes, even the ‘dodgy’ ones). It’s a massive feat and one that hasn’t been done before, just don’t tell her it’s impossible. She certainly won’t listen and you’ll be sure that she does her utmost to prove you wrong. This girl is always up for a challenge!
