Joss Stone
The Soul Session

THE REVIEW

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.