Rated Joss Stone - Soul Sessions Vol. 2

Joss Stone has taken tonnes of flack in her decade long career, mainly from her homeland. It's a shame that one silly accent mishap caused so much animosity, but I guess the music world is a shallow place and the public can't see the talent beyond the person. The truth is, Joss Stone is a remarkable singer with a voice that coils its way around you as you sip your red wine and puff on your Marlboro on the couch, squeezing ever so slightly with every note. This is the case with the sequel album to her huge debut, Soul Sessions Vol. 2, which has Stone reunite with the mastermind behind the original album, Steve Greenberg.

The evolution of Stone's voice is apparent on Labi Siffre cover 'I Got The...', the same song Eminem sampled on his debut 'My Name Is'. '(For God's Sake) Give More Power to the People' opens with an enormous roar from Stone's pipes and as the uptempo soul number kicks in you can't help tap your hands off everything around you. The tempo is kept with 'While You're Out Looking For Sugar', which is about as uplifting as a song can get. 'Sideway Shuffle' is a sassy, sexy soul song that suits Stone's foxy tones perfectly. Covering Womack & Womack's classic 'Teardrop', Stone almost makes the song sound like it was written for her.

The beauty of Stone's voice is that it's timeless. She sounds classically current; like a vintage voice for the modern generation. This is apparent on all songs on the album; reworking Eddie Floyd's 'I Don't Want To Be With Nobody But You' and Barbara Acklin's 'Stoned Out Of My Mind' Stone brings belting soul/funk melodies into the 21st Century and makes them appealing enough to fit in with the current wave of synth overdosing. 

Soul Sessions Vol. 2 is a great album to win back those fans who turned their backs on Joss Stone when she revamped her image and sound on Introducing... many years ago. Fantastic vocals, great soul songs and plenty of charisma make this one of the singer's most exciting albums to date.

4/5


Update! Not going to lie, I did get a little over excited about this. I think this is the beginning of a beautiful relationship (shopping, drinking and dancing that is - no monkey business)