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Rating: Joss Stone is not the usual pop girl eager to showcase her allure, nor is she a musical symbol induced to make headlines for her latest boyfriend. Joss Stone is simply Joss Stone, simply... indeed.
Joscelyn Eve Stoker is the girl next door, a humble girl who candidly admits she never took singing lessons, a young woman who almost seems unaware of the power of her own voice. The voice of Joss Stone is a force of nature, a voice that, for its vigor, naturalness, and intensity, is comparable to that of the great soul queen: Aretha Franklin; not for nothing, industry insiders (and not only) often define the young singer from Dover as the white Aretha Franklin.
The debut album is an intense and captivating record, an album featuring numerous guest stars such as: Angie Stone, Betty Wright, ?uestlove, musician of "The Roots"; it's an album of covers as fascinating as the originals. Indubitably, it's an album "not so" original, not because of the interpretation which is magnificent (Joss, in fact, seems comfortable directly comparing with the sacred monsters of soul), but due to the lack of new pieces, which is understandable given the singer's young age.
Among the tracks on the album, we must mention the first single released "Fell in Love with a Boy," a cover of the White Stripes where the beauty of Joscelyn's voice explodes with all its strength. Also noteworthy is the opening track of the album, "The Chokin' Kind," where the singer expresses, with a bit of anguish, the fear of being suffocated by a stifling love. "I’ve Fallen in Love with You" is also notable for being a simple request for love, Joss indeed sings, “…the beats of my heart want you, my empty arms need you, please don’t go, stay and don’t try to push me away...” a splendid song in which any listener could relate.
The album also contains a cover of the aforementioned Aretha Franklin's "All the King's Horses," where Stone speaks of a fairytale love. Love is, in short, the key word of the entire album, love that is chained, love experienced as something fantastic, fairytale love, the one dreamed, love that, even if recounted by other authors, seems lived firsthand by this young woman. The debut album of this spontaneous artist is an anthem to music, it’s an intense CD that flows lightly at first listen, permeating every single cell of the listener with melancholic joy.
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
01 The Chokin' Kind (03:36)
I only meant to love you
Didn't you know it baby, didn't you know
Why couldn't you be content with the love I gave?
I gave you my heart
But you wanted my mind
Your love scares me to death, boy
It's the chokin' kind
That's all it is
So you can kill a girl with a bottle of poison or a knife
I know you can
But it'll hurt her more to take her pride and ruin her life
It's a shame, it's a shame, boy
Whatever it is boy I surely hope you find
I tell you that hat don't fit my head
It's the chokin' kind
It makes me wanna....
When you fall in love take a tip from me
If you don't like the peach, then walk on by the tree
That's what you better do honey, honey
Find what you want boy
Keep it, treat it sweet and kind
Let it breathe
Don't go making it the chokin' kind
Don't break my heart baby, baby
I know you love me truly, truly
Really I do honey
That your love scares me to death boy, yes it does
It's the chokin' kind
That's all it is, that's all it is
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Other reviews
By Hal
Her voice is sweet, warm, deep, emotional, intense and it’s not a mere imitation of legendary models like Aretha Franklin.
Thanks to these musicians, this girl’s voice, and the excellent production, listening to The Soul Sessions becomes, therefore, a pleasant journey back in time.
