...and what's ole Joss Stone up to now, anyway?

pickwick33pickwick33 8,946 Posts
edited February 2007 in Strut Central
About to release a new album (her third). One where she finally has creative control where she can show off the real her.In other words: she's not doing the retro-soul thing anymore. She's now trying to get in with the Christina Aguillera crowd.I figured this was coming, after hearing her second album (ONLINE - I wasn't ABOUT to pay money for that fucker, let alone ask for a promo copy!). Not shocked, but it was pretty obvious that older R&B wasn't what she listened to at home and somebody sort of steered her in that direction for her first album. I'm sure that right now her only connection with classic soul is that her boyfriend is Lamont Dozier's son (or at least they were together three years ago).At least Kenny Wayne Shepherd and Jonny Lang seem more sincere than that. Ah, the fickleness of youth!!!

  Comments


  • CosmoCosmo 9,768 Posts
    I was on a plane the other day and Dusty Springfield's "Silly Silly Fool" came on my iPod and I thought to myself, "What the fuck were people saying about Joss Stone?!?"

  • Last time there was a Joss Stone thread on SS (late '04), somebody here joked that within a year or two, she was gonna drop all her soul pretentions and soon be recording a track called "Nasty (Featuring Puff Daddy and DJ Somebody-Or-Other) (Special All The Way Live Chill Pill Remix)." She's about at that point right now. Whoever made that remark back then is a fucking prophet.Hope all the nostalgic baby boomers who bought her first album are happy.

    Not to come off like Mr. Moldy Fig Rekkid Collector, and I know there are other things to worry about besides Joss Stone's artistic progression, but damn! Like I said, you might not like his shit, but at least Jonny Lang stuck with the blues to a degree! I can see it now...when Joss writes her memoirs, it's probably gonna come out then and there that her flirtation with older soul was probably the result of some greedy manager twisting her arm or something.

  • luckluck 4,077 Posts
    Hell: What happened to Ricky Fante?

  • holmesholmes 3,532 Posts
    I liked that first Joss Stone album. I have the second but don't even remember listening to it

  • faux_rillzfaux_rillz 14,343 Posts
    About to release a new album (her third). One where she finally has creative control where she can show off the real her.

    In other words: she's not doing the retro-soul thing anymore. She's now trying to get in with the Christina Aguillera crowd.

    I figured this was coming, after hearing her second album (ONLINE - I wasn't ABOUT to pay money for that fucker, let alone ask for a promo copy!). Not shocked, but it was pretty obvious that older R&B wasn't what she listened to at home and somebody sort of steered her in that direction for her first album. I'm sure that right now her only connection with classic soul is that her boyfriend is Lamont Dozier's son (or at least they were together three years ago).

    At least Kenny Wayne Shepherd and Jonny Lang seem more sincere than that. Ah, the fickleness of youth!!!

    I am not trying to snipe at you, but you seem awfully knowledgable about her for someone that finds her so distasteful. I don't think I've ever heard her.

  • About to release a new album (her third). One where she finally has creative control where she can show off the real her.

    In other words: she's not doing the retro-soul thing anymore. She's now trying to get in with the Christina Aguillera crowd.

    I figured this was coming, after hearing her second album (ONLINE - I wasn't ABOUT to pay money for that fucker, let alone ask for a promo copy!). Not shocked, but it was pretty obvious that older R&B wasn't what she listened to at home and somebody sort of steered her in that direction for her first album. I'm sure that right now her only connection with classic soul is that her boyfriend is Lamont Dozier's son (or at least they were together three years ago).

    At least Kenny Wayne Shepherd and Jonny Lang seem more sincere than that. Ah, the fickleness of youth!!!

    I am not trying to snipe at you, but you seem awfully knowledgable about her for someone that finds her so distasteful. I don't think I've ever heard her.

    No offense taken, bro. The reason why I'm so knowledgeable about her is because her first album was in a '60s/70s soul bag...which would make her, by default, up my alley. If Kenny G. debuted with an album that sounded like King Curtis, you can bet I'd be following his career semi-closely as well.

    Okay, when the first album came out, she had all these TK people on it like Little Beaver and Betty Wright. It wasn't half bad, to be truthful. It was all covers of soul standards that I was already familiar with, but was okay for what it was. I'll admit, I got my copy free at some press party for a now-defunct music magazine called Tracks (still have their size-M T-shirt). It was a decent effort, but at the time I withheld judgement. She was just young enough (16, I think?) that she could just as easily change her style. Her handlers were claiming that when her second album was coming out, it would be mostly originals, and that's when we'd hear the real Joss Stone.

    See my first two posts in this thread for the rest. Had she started out as another Britney-type, I would have blissfully ignored her and we wouldn't be having this discussion.

    Now how's that for "covering my ass?"

  • GuzzoGuzzo 8,611 Posts
    I am not trying to snipe at you



    someone has hijacked faux's account

  • luckluck 4,077 Posts
    size-M T-shirt

    Heh. How's THAT fit? I still remember the holy-shit-this-Blues-Fest-is-cold debacle. A pole like me could have rocked some babydoll petite nonsense, but you needed the XXL long-sleeved souvenier tee. Strong like bull, bud. Strong like bull.

    Now how's that for "covering my ass?"

    Pfft. Smitten like a kitten.

  • JRootJRoot 861 Posts
    size-M T-shirt

    Heh. How's THAT fit?

    I will return to the Gaylords table if you promise to wear this shirt.

    JRoot

    PS I've never heard anything of Joss Stone, and now I won't ever for sure.

  • size-M T-shirt

    Heh. How's THAT fit?

    I will return to the Gaylords table if you promise to wear this shirt.

    You know what? For the first time since I got it back in '03 or '04, I tried that joker on for a good laff, just now...it just barely covered my XL frame (it actually sez "adult M/M/M"), but if I were to eat at Gaylord's in that thing...as spicy as their food is, I'd bust that fabric in two. Maybe Dante could rock it, but not me, buddy...back into the drawer it goes!

    I've never heard anything of Joss Stone, and now I won't ever for sure.

    Not missing much. I remember at one point, they were playing up the "white soul" angle on her so hard that Living Blues (which devotes most of its coverage to authentic juke-joint acts like Bobby Rush & Mel Waiters) ran an ad for her second album. Bet that won't be happening again.

  • mannybolonemannybolone Los Angeles, CA 15,025 Posts
    The new album isn't classic soul but nor is it on some popped out Xtina tip. In fact, if anything, I kind of wish it had more pop songs on it. One of my old college friends recently became one of her new managers and he played me the new album plus a few bonus tracks and what struck me was the relative lack of hooks on the album - both musically and lyrically. I mean, there are hooks there technically, but nothing that grabs your ear and demands your repeated attention.

    It basically comes off what you'd expect a soul album produced by Raphael Sadeeq would sound like...the same kind of ideas he brought to bear on Lucy Pearl are more or less in effect here. The musicianship is great but I just had a hard time finding something to hang my ear on. Believe me though, she didn't go Gwen Stefani on this or anything however.

  • FlomotionFlomotion 2,390 Posts
    Joss Stone seems to have gone all Hollywood. Fake accent, a MAW wardrobe and questionable choice of recording material. Pretty synthetic all round and clearly aiming for commercial recognition more than anything. Still got an amazing voice, of course, but just not doing anything very interesting with it. People seem to have lost interest in her over here in the UK.

  • mannybolonemannybolone Los Angeles, CA 15,025 Posts
    Joss Stone seems to have gone all Hollywood. Fake accent, a MAW wardrobe and questionable choice of recording material. Pretty synthetic all round and clearly aiming for commercial recognition more than anything. Still got an amazing voice, of course, but just not doing anything very interesting with it. People seem to have lost interest in her over here in the UK.

    Again, I really don't hear her new album as being crazy commercial but sure, no one's going to confuse it with Amy Winehouse. I think Joss might have missed an opp by coming out sooner. Now it seems like all the UK produces is white folk who sing soul meaning that Joss has to try to distinguish herself amidst at least half a dozen competitors from her own country, let alone the American set.

    By the way, what about her accent is fake? I'm just curious what you mean here.

  • DocMcCoyDocMcCoy "Go and laugh in your own country!" 5,917 Posts
    Joss Stone seems to have gone all Hollywood. Fake accent, a MAW wardrobe and questionable choice of recording material. Pretty synthetic all round and clearly aiming for commercial recognition more than anything. Still got an amazing voice, of course, but just not doing anything very interesting with it. People seem to have lost interest in her over here in the UK.

    Again, I really don't hear her new album as being crazy commercial but sure, no one's going to confuse it with Amy Winehouse. I think Joss might have missed an opp by coming out sooner. Now it seems like all the UK produces is white folk who sing soul meaning that Joss has to try to distinguish herself amidst at least half a dozen competitors from her own country, let alone the American set.

    By the way, what about her accent is fake? I'm just curious what you mean here.

    I'm trying to second-guess Flomotion a little here, but some of the criticism directed at Joss Stone here in the UK is that she sings with an American accent, and has adopted a Transatlantic twang to her speaking voice rather than speaking with her natural Devon accent. I suppose the first could be excused on the grounds that soul/r&b is an American idiom, and the second could be excused because she spends a lot of time in the US.

    Personally, I liked the first record, didn't much care for the second, and will be checking out the third at the very least. I dunno quite what people expect from a 19-year-old, but I'm not mad at her at all.

  • batmonbatmon 27,574 Posts
    I like her version of the Isley Bros. For The Love Of You. Shit is lava.
    I own the second album, its ehhhh. I wonder if she'll isolate her "retro" fans by going semi pop. I'd like to see her on the Al Green/?uestLove collabo.

  • I like her version of the Isley Bros. For The Love Of You. Shit is lava.
    I own the second album, its ehhhh. I wonder if she'll isolate her "retro" fans by going semi pop.

    shes already semi-pop as far as im concerned. a blues-loving friend of mine who had never heard of joss stone before (but LOVED ricky fante) saw a video online for a song from album #2 and was all like "what IS this shite???"

  • She seems to have dropped any british accent in favour of an ott r&b soul diva southern twang, as evidenced by last nights bizarre appearance at the Brits. She wandered about singing Amy Winehouse and sending out Big LUUUV to Robbie Williams to a nonplussed british audience. Hilarious.

  • FlomotionFlomotion 2,390 Posts
    She seems to have dropped any british accent in favour of an ott r&b soul diva southern twang, as evidenced by last nights bizarre appearance at the Brits. She wandered about singing Amy Winehouse and sending out Big LUUUV to Robbie Williams to a nonplussed british audience. Hilarious.

    My thoughts exactly. Loleatta may have got away with it but coming from her it was laughable.


  • The real question remains:

    Has she found a pair of shoes yet?

  • DocMcCoyDocMcCoy "Go and laugh in your own country!" 5,917 Posts

  • batmonbatmon 27,574 Posts

    YO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! She's like Alisha Keys/Gwen Stefani/Cher/Kelis all rolled into one. She dropped the farmhouse image for real.



    Crunchy Slick.

  • deejdeej 5,125 Posts
    only thing i ever heard was her covering the white stripes and that shit was terrible, conceptually and in execution.
Sign In or Register to comment.