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When JOSS STONE released her debut; ‘The Soul Sessions’, in 2003, she was only 16 – although you’d never have guessed it from her voice, which was as mature and as proficient as that of a seasoned soul singer.
The album went triple platinum, and both its singles, ‘Fell In Love With A Boy’ and ‘Super Duper Love’, reached the top twenty of the UK Singles Chart. Well, you don’t need to watch ‘Child Star Confidential’ to know that that kind of success at such a tender age can go straight to a kid’s head with destructive results – but this wasn’t the case for Stone.
She pleased both her fans and her critics with her next two albums, the R&B-tinged ‘Mind, Body & Soul’ and ‘Introducing Joss Stone’, which reaffirmed her precocious vocal ability. Her latest release, entitled ‘Colour Me Free!’, sees her return to the soulful sounds of her debut, but this time, her emotional breadth seems to have caught up with the maturity of her voice – even though she’s still only four months shy of her 23rd birthday. |
While ‘The Soul Sessions’ was mostly comprised of covers of soul standards, and ‘Mind, Body & Soul’ was pop-y R&B, the songs of ‘Colour Me Free!’ are fluid and laidback, coming across more as glorified jam sessions than a cut-and-dried radio hit – and it’s a fitting direction for Stone, whose voice is far too good to be wasted on common or garden-pop songs. Opener ‘Free Me’ is arguably one of the best tracks she’s ever recorded: a poised and memorable song with a shuddering bass line, in which Stone asserts her authority over the powers that be (“don’t tell me that I won’t, I can”), with the kind of confidence that comes with being 23 (well... almost 23). And certainly, she’s grown into her voice since her debut – while there was never any doubt over her ability, her performance seems to be much more effortless and wholehearted. Indeed, she more than holds her own against such renowned performers as Jeff Beck, who lends his guitar prowess to third track ‘Parallel Lines’, and Nas, who appears on ‘Govermentalist’. (Stone, like every musician worth their salt nowadays, is sharing her thoughts on those in political power.)
Stone’s voice is also surprising in its versatility: on ‘Lady’, she channels Al Green’s subtle soul, and the next track, ‘4 And 20’, the smoky sounds of Diana Krall, while ‘Mr. Wankerman’ is unadulterated jazz. She’s at her best though, on more upbeat tracks such as ‘Govermentalist’ and ‘You Got The Love’, when she has a funky tune to work with. And yes, that’s the same ‘You Got The Love’ that Florence + The Machine released as a single on her debut album ‘Lungs’. A dance single by The Source and Candi Staton in the mid-1980s, Florence Welch reworked it into an empowering, epic paean - but in the hands of Stone, it’s an understated, bass-driven statement of strength in the face of adversity.
To tell the truth, most of the songs on ‘Colour Me Free!’ are immensely likeable (bar the cringeworthy, melodramatic and over-orchestrated ‘Girlfriend On Demand’, which is worth skipping). The fluid, easy direction she’s taken on this album showcases her voice to its fullest, and one gets the impression that she’d be a stellar act to see live. The future looks bright for Stone: all four of her albums have been successful and acclaimed, and her voice is in fine form. For someone who came under the public’s gaze at such a young age, she’s made good – certainly, a lot better than most of those featured on ‘Child Star Confidential’.
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