Joss Stone

[svelte]

Paradiso, Amsterdam

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[Neo52285]

svelte you are on a roll. keep it up.

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Soul Child

For a young girl with an old soul, the sky's the limit for Joss Stone

Joss Stone's brief life on earth sounds like the daydream of a high schooler in math class after a few lunchtime bong hits: Wouldn't it be great if I got a record deal? And then maybe Elton John would have me sing at his Oscar party in Hollywood. And then I could duet with Mick Jagger and hang at the White House. And Tom Cruise and I could become friends; I could go over to his house for lunch. That would be so cool.

That this all happened to a girl from Devon, England's rural southwest county, who still doesn't have her driver's license is even more hallucinatory. "People are like, 'Isn't this crazy?' " says Stone, 17, as she lounges in a Los Angeles coffee shop. "I don't know. I can't really compare it to anything. I was fourteen when I got my [record] deal, and I've never had another job." She thinks for a minute. "Well, I did baby-sit a couple of times."

Stone burst onto the scene last year with The Soul Sessions, a collection of obscure R&B covers. Originally intended to spark some underground buzz, it sold more than 2 million copies after word got around about the teenager with the startlingly rich old-soul voice. Stone's vocals can soar sweetly or drop to a sultry purr (check out her sensual take on the White Stripes' "Fell in Love With a Girl").

Now she has a follow-up album of original songs, Mind, Body and Soul, most of which Stone had a hand in writing (including the first single, a catchy kiss-off tune called "You Had Me"). The tunes may be new, but they hark back to the golden age of good old Seventies R&B.

It's hard to reconcile Stone's pipes of power with this pretty blonde who boasts an infectious laugh and a sparkly nose stud. She wears a red tank top and jeans, similar to the no-nonsense gear she sports onstage. "There's some people who can't sing for shit and they just take their clothes off," she says. "It makes me think, 'All right, I'm bored.' I want to hear the music. If I wanted to go to a strip club, I'd go to a strip club."

Onstage, she'd rather reveal herself emotionally. Stone's supremely self-assured performances, in which she strolls around barefoot and sings directly to individual audience members, have made a believer out of her writing partner and mentor, soul diva Betty Wright. "This is gut-wrenching, fall-down-on-your-knees, sing-until-you-sweat, make-somebody-feel-something music," says Wright. "This ain't no 'Put four girls around you to dance and you got a hit.' " Critics carp that Stone can't possibly have lived through the joy and pain required to sing soul, but she contends that as a teenager she knows full well what becomes of the brokenhearted. Wright agrees. "What is the greatest love you can remember?" she asks. "Puppy love. Remember when you got that piece of paper that said, 'I love you. Do you love me? Check yes or no'? When you're a shorty, you're just as serious about your puppy love as people are serious about their marriage. Shoot, I think a newborn baby can coo the blues."

Actually, Stone was steeping herself in R&B from the time she was in the cradle in the village of Ashill, in Devon. "My mum told me that between the age of one and three you develop your pitch, and I was listening to Anita Baker at that time," Stone says. "Janis Joplin, Whitney Houston, James Brown." At ten, she saw a commercial for an Aretha Franklin CD and excitedly wrote her name down. "All of a sudden, I really wanted to be a singer," Stone says. Even though she sang into a hairbrush at home, she was so shy that her school's music teacher didn't know she could carry a tune.

Her first foray into music was strictly for the cash. When Stone was twelve, her family had a dispute with the neighbors about rights to a field, on which she often rode a beloved horse named Freddy. When her family couldn't afford to buy the field, her father, an importer-exporter of fruits and nuts, was forced to sell the horse. "I was really upset and pissed off that we didn't have enough money," she says. "And I thought, 'Well, if nobody else will help me, I'll get a job myself.' " The enterprising preteen decided to try out for a British TV talent show called Star for a Night, acing the competition with her version of "A Natural Woman (You Make Me Feel Like)."

She didn't get Freddy back, but she did land a contract at S-Curve Records. She was happy to say buh-bye to school. "I hated it," she says. "I would cry in the morning. I hated getting up early. And I'm dyslexic, which made school a lot worse." In America, S-Curve's head, Steve Greenberg, hooked Stone up with Wright, and they began to pen songs. Halfway through the process, Greenberg had a thought: What if Stone were to record some obscure soul classics and use some of the seasoned musicians that were a part of the Miami soul scene? Wright was dispatched to find the session guys. Of the musicians she chose, only Benny Latimore ("Let's Straighten It Out") was still in the music business. Guitarist Willie "Little Beaver" Hale was working for a commuter rail line, and organist Timmy Thomas was a teacher. In the meantime, Stone, Wright, Greenberg and producer Mike Mangini sat down and picked out lesser-known soul cuts such as Laura Lee's "Dirty Man" and "Super Duper Love," by one-hit wonder Sugar Billy.

It was slow going in the studio at the beginning. "When they got together that first day -- oh, my goodness," says Wright. "You talk about a train wreck? Because no one had been playing together, and then it took them two hours to do the reminiscing thing -- you know, 'How have things been since 1979?' "

Eventually the group jelled and knocked out the whole album live in four days. Stone recorded one last track, her cover of "Fell in Love With a Girl," in Philadelphia, co-produced by the Roots, with backing vocals by Angie Stone. "I'm like, 'This is the wrong way around; I should be doing her backing,' " says Joss. "She's so into real music, and she and the Roots didn't care that I'm not from the Bronx. I'm not black -- whatever. The only question they ask is, 'Does she sound good? All right, then I'll work with her.' "

Slightly more nerve-racking was her first gig, at a little joint in Miami called Tobacco Road. "It was packed because Betty Wright had organized the whole band, and their families were there, and it was a teeny little place," Joss says. "I just cried beforehand. I told Steve, 'I don't want to do this. I don't want to perform. Can I not just sing in the studio?' " When the tears stopped, she was coaxed onstage.

After the release of "The Soul Sessions," Stone's life began to take a surreal turn as the famous lined up to meet her. Elton John asked her to perform at his Oscar party. There was a mad scramble before she took the stage at John's because she had forgotten to bring a bra. It was so late that no stores were open, so her hairdresser raced down to a laundromat, found a woman pulling a wet bra out of a washer and offered her twenty bucks for it. As Stone sang onstage, she got fleeting glimpses of the audience: Sharon Stone, the Osbournes, Katie Holmes. "It was really scary," Joss says. "Elton was interested in my show, but the audience at that kind of thing, they're all working."

The whirlwind continued. Stone met the president twice, when she sang at the Christmas in Washington concert and at a Kennedy Center tribute to James Brown. ("I get the feeling George Bush is a little silly," she says.) Mick Jagger and the Eurythmics' Dave Stewart tapped her to sing the title cut on the Alfie soundtrack, which Jagger and Stewart produced, and Jagger and Stone duetted on a holiday song called "Lonely Without You (This Christmas)." After Tom Cruise mentioned on a TV talk show that he was a fan, he and Stone became friends. "I went over to his house for lunch," she says. "He has this trampoline in the back garden, and of course he does all the flips, because he's Superman; he can do anything. He's so nice, just a normal guy. And I love it because he has no agenda. What does he need from me? He's Tom Cruise." She was more nervous meeting Jack White of the White Stripes outside a hotel. ("I'm sorry I ruined your song," she told him. "Don't be stupid, we loved it," he answered.)

One night she was approached backstage by Lamont Dozier, of the celebrated Motown songwriting team Holland-Dozier-Holland, who offered to write a song for her next album. He and his son Beau collaborated with Stone on Mind, Body and Soul's best track, "Spoiled." The collaboration with Beau, now her boyfriend, continued. He sits at a nearby table at the coffee shop, waiting for her to be done so that they can go to a nearby park. "He's so cute, isn't he?" Stone says, throwing a beaming glance in his direction. "When I'm here in L.A. I live at his house."

Stone co-wrote eleven of the fourteen songs on Mind, Body and Soul, an impressively accomplished album of soul with flourishes of gospel and reggae. It has the same warmly organic feel as her debut. But the self-effacing Stone is merciless when she critiques her album. "I know people are going to dis it when it comes out," she says. "And if they didn't, I'd never learn. I mean, I'm making this up. I have no idea what I'm doing."

Mention the song "Don't Cha Wanna Ride," a sassy up-tempo romp, and she groans. "I get embarrassed every time I sing it," she says, pointing to lyrics such as "A car this fine don't pass your way every day." "I was having a good time when I was singing it in the studio, but then afterward, I was like, 'How can I do this onstage?' " She's right, actually. Because her songs were co-written by seasoned R&B veterans, some of the words are jarring: No adolescent on planet Earth would say things such as "Won't you tell me/Where's my mister man?"

Her songwriting still sparkles with potential. With that voice, fame is imminent, and soon she will not regard the paparazzo who followed her to the drugstore recently as "really cool, just doing his job." Hopefully she can enjoy this giddy time where everything is "mad" and people are "really nice." Hell, maybe she'll never be jaded, because she seems equally excited by both the major events in her life and the smaller ones -- getting her driver's license, for instance. "I really can't wait," she says, practically lifting off her chair.

By Jancee Dunn

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Record Revolutions: Joss Stone – Mind Body & Soul

Great Britain has given the United States many wonderful imports over the years: The Beatles, Monty Python, Harry Potter, etc. After hearing her second CD, Mind Body & Soul, I’m convinced that Joss Stone is another welcome gift from across the pond.

A seventeen-year old British Caucasian R&B soul singer may seem like a contradiction in terms, but Stone pulls it off effortlessly with style, talent, and a husky voice reminiscent of jazz greats like Etta James and Ella Fitzgerald.

On the strength of her innovative cover of The White Stripes’ “Fell in Love With a Boy,” her debut disc sold 675,000 copies in the U.S. Mind Body & Soul should have no trouble topping that and catapulting Stone to superstardom.

Featuring eleven tracks co-written by Stone, Mind Body & Soul avoids some of the traps her first CD The Soul Sessions fell into – an overabundance of throaty moaning and an occasionally plodding pace. Stone’s sophomore album features more up-tempo songs and a fuller, lusher orchestration. Fans are also treated to Stone’s girl-power lyrics, which are insightful and rather impressive for a woman so young.

Overall, the album benefits greatly from the myriad of musical styles it includes. While The Soul Sessions generally stuck to neo-soul ballads, the tracks on Mind transcend all stylistic boundaries. From dance-hall reggae on “Less is More” to a full gospel choir on the ballad “Security” to a hip-hop vibe on “Snakes and Ladders,” Stone is like a kid in a candy store, taking a little bit of everything she likes and mixing it together. The variety works well, keeping the audience guessing from song to song. Like any soul singer worth her salt, Stone sings about love – finding it, losing it, being confused by it. In the smooth, sultry “Jet Lag,” Stone muses about the hazy, heady feeling of finding new love. She entices a guy with lines like “A car this fine don’t pass your way every day” on the fun and funky “Don’t Cha Wanna Ride,” and expresses the uncertainty and anxiety of approaching a guy on the groovy “Don’t Know How.”

Mind is also heavy on girl power. If songs like the beautiful slow jam “Right to Be Wrong” and the album’s attitude-laden first single “You Had Me” are any indication, Stone is not a chick to mess with. A fierce independence shines through on songs like “Understand,” in which she tells a lover to back off and give her space, and thumbs her nose at authority on the opera (yes, opera) tinged “Young at Heart.”

A special nod has to be given to the album’s final cut, “Sleep Like a Child,” a beautiful, piano-heavy ballad that showcases Stone’s soulful, tender voice.

In today’s environment of disposable, over-synthesized pop tarts, an artist with Stone’s deep, insightful lyrics, classy style, and above all, immense talent, should be celebrated. While most other singers her age are singing tired, formulaic pop tunes, Stone is taking a classic genre and adding her own unique touches to make it new. Many adjectives have been used to describe Stone over the past year, and after hearing Mind Body & Soul, I’ll throw in my two cents – Joss Stone is absolutely brilliant, and definitely a cut above the rest.

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Joss Stone at Seventeen

Joss Stone is on a roll. She's somewhere in Los Angeles. Last night it was the Late Show with Jay Leno and tonight she's just come off the set of the Late, Late Show when we find her at the end of the phone, still buzzing.

Effectively she's released two albums in this part of the world in less than a year - the covers collection Soul Sessions and now the original set Mind Body & Soul. She's a busy gal and as she chats flat out, it's hard to reconcile her girlish Devon vowels with that terrific singing voice. But maybe that's because we're talking to the person that "Joss Stone" becomes off-stage ...

Sounds like they've got you working very hard.

Ohmigod. Yeah but it's cool.

But you'd be used to the hard work by now.

Kind of. You expect it now but you can't really get used to it. My head has got used to it but my body hasn't. I'm young and I'm growing at the same time so I get so tired. But I have to do it otherwise people wouldn't know I have an album out.

Down this end of the world Soul Sessions didn't come out until February or March and the new album is out now, not that long after.

Right it's mad. The Soul Sessions wasn't really meant to be an album. The idea when we went into it was to basically do an EP for which we'd have to do hardly any promo, just carry on making my album and chill out while they have that one. Just underground, with a little buzz. It was cool that people liked it.

It seems that 2 1/2 million people liked it.

Yeah it's kinda crazy.

Were you worried after Soul Sessions went, how the next one would be received. Did you think maybe you should wait a while?

No I didn't want everyone to think I was just a covers artist because, really, I'm not. I have things to say and I just so much wanted to do my own stuff.

The albums aren't a whole lot different soundwise.

I tried to make Mind Body & Soul a little bit more contemporary - not so, so, so old school. I liked that it had a Soul Sessions vibe because it wasn't, like, over-produced. It was done like it was in the 70s, that is how exactly we recorded it.

There was no auto-tune on anything, there wasn't on my second and there never will be on my third. I like it real. If you're not perfect - and I'm so far from perfect - I kind of like that.

You're credited with co-writes on most of the songs on the new one. Are you a natural songwriter?

I hope so. I'm just working it out right now. I love writing but I do get a little bit shy. When it's like the first time and let's say you're with Lamont Dozier [Motown songwriting legend] or Beau Dozier [his son], I was so shy man, I was like a little kid. I was just stupid. Because they are just amazing and I felt so stupid. But I tried and I put in my two quids worth and we definitely worked together on it, but I think I was a little bit too nervous.

What's the difference between Joss Stone and Jocelyn Stoker?

I don't know who this Joss Stone girl is. I don't know who the hell they are talking about ... ha ha.

Was it Joss Stone or Jocelyn Stoker who wrote the songs?

It was definitely Jocelyn Stoker. Joss Stone is the girl who turns up on stage and sings. The girl you are talking to right now is Joss Stoker. You know, I don't want to be Joss Stone too often. It's kind of bad. I find that some people turn into the artists they are trying to be.

If I went on stage and was like myself I wouldn't sing. That's who I turn into in between songs. I'll sing and I'm, like, I'm into my song I don't give a damn who's there, but when the music stops I'm like, "Oh shit what the [expletive] am I doing on this stage?"

If I had me now and me like five years ago - if they both met I swear to God me five years ago would slap me around the face and go "Joss get the hell off that stage. How embarrassing, what the hell are you doing?".

So you had to overcome stage fright?

Yeah. I would cry in between my shows "I don't want to do it Mum. Everyone is going to think I'm stupid", because that is what kids are like. When I was at school if I got up and sang they would knock me down so quick.

That's why I didn't, because I was so nervous and I didn't think I was a good singer. But my mum said "you just have to put on a different hat and be like 'this is what I do' and be confident with it, otherwise you are never going to be anything."

And what else can I do but sing? I don't want to go back to school. Don't make me go back to school. So I have to just get up there, stop being such a wuss and do it.

But I don't want to take that personality with me. That person has to be really over-confident and I find that over-confident people can be a real pain in the arse.

So maybe Joss Stone is more American than Jocelyn Stoker ...

Ha ha ha. I don't know. I've met some arrogant people in England too.

You're still just 17. Do you think it might have all happened a bit early for you.

No I don't think so. I think it would have been nice to chill out and be 17 and not do anything. But if I had carried on I would have got into a lot of trouble so I'm glad I've had something to occupy myself.

I'm glad that I can sing and somebody recognised it early because I know that I never would have gone to college. I hated school so much that I was just going to chill right out and that's not a good thing. I get bored real quick.

You've met a lot of famous people. Are there any that you are still impressed by afterwards?.

Yeah definitely Lamont Dozier. And there was James Brown - Ohmigod I was scared. I walked into the room and he's like a little guy. He's so cute, he's like a cute little man. I really liked him and he was so nice and I was really nervous to be in there with him. I do get a little starstruck but it only really lasts for a couple of seconds.

Does it worry you at all people might not take you seriously because of your age and that you're a white girl from England singing black American music?

No. There's no point in worrying about that. I can't change that I'm 17 and that I'm white and that I'm English, but the thing is I don't want to change it and I don't want to get old quick. I'm cool being 17.

I think people who care about image and don't really listen to the music - they really look at those things but I know the people who just want to listen to music don't really give a damn. So it really doesn't matter to me.

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[svelte]

Joss puts her heart and soul into city gig

JOSS Stone walked barefoot onto the stage at the Carling Academy in Glasgow last night and gave an electric performance that defied her 17 years.

Dressed simply in jeans and a pink, striped t-shirt the teenage queen of soul needed no gimmicks as she belted out her opening tracks to an appreciative audience.

Compared by critics to rock legend Janis Joplin, the Mercury Music Prize nominee treated the crowd to a confident and mature performance that showcased her voice.

The young singer from Devon has said in the past that she was uncomfortable with the idea of performing live, but she showed no signs of stage of fright as she moved effortlessly from the funky, Fell In Love With a Boy, from her first highly acclaimed album of classic covers, The Soul Sessions, to the up-beat Don't Cha Wanna Ride, from her latest album, Mind, Body and Soul.

But the crowd was really won over by the great pop-reggae track, Less is More, which summed up her style.

In a heart-felt performance, she sang a spectacular version of Lauren Hill's Doo wop (That Thing), with help from her backing singers, followed by powerful rendition of Aretha Franklin's classic soul track, Think.

And all too quickly it was over. After just one encore she was gone and the crowd was left chanting for more.

This was clearly just a glimpse of great talent that can only get better with age.

[svelte]

Joss Stone, Carling Academy, Glasgow

BETH PEARSON November 05 2004

THIS must be what it's like to be in Joss Stone's living room: seventies-style drapes hang at the back of the stage, rugs overlap on the floor, a boho scarf hangs from the mike stand and Stone herself casually wanders in with trademark bare feet. Just 17 years old, it's impossible not to feel a little nervous for her, despite what we know about her voice, what with all these people and the hugely accomplished band behind her (they open the show with a waka-waka funk workout).

It very quickly becomes clear there's no cause for concern. For the opener, Super Duper Love, she confidently stretches a phrase out here, makes it short and punchy there, then slides into a brief interlude of Rapper's Delight by the Sugarhill Gang. She scats out the end of You Had Me and shakes her ass to the reggae breakdown introduced to Fell In Love With A Boy. She comfortably scales soft, emotional tones – the first few bars of The Choking Kind are almost unbearably tender – and richly textured heights of Aretha Franklin's Think, performing the latter as part of a medley of covers also including Lauryn Hill's Doo Wop (That Thing) and Al Green's Love And Happiness, which demonstrates her own vocal dexterity as well as her confidence to let her more mature and experienced backing singers to take the limelight while she nods appreciatively nearby.

Stone is that rare thing; a naturally naturalistic performer. She frequently giggles like the schoolgirl she would be if life had panned out differently, but also has the habit of dismissively waving her hand, as if she's an old woman who's seen it all before.

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JOSS STONE'S "WILD RIDE" BEGINS NOW!

CRITICS HAIL "SUPREMELY TALENTED" SOUL PHENOM'S NEW ALBUM 'MIND, BODY & SOUL' (S-CURVE RECORDS)

-Curve recording artist Joss Stone, whose anticipated new album 'Mind, Body & Soul' hits stores tomorrow, is receiving a wave of praise for her soulful voice and songwriting. Here's what critics are saying about the album Joss considers her "real debut."

"She can croon it sad, deep and throaty, belt it out juke-joint style or get down and funky for the bump-and-grind crowd... ['Mind, Body & Soul' is] an impressive album with plenty of individuality and flair... The next few years are going to be a wild ride for the supremely talented Stone." - Lorraine Ali, NEWSWEEK, September 20, 2004

"'Mind, Body & Soul' more than fulfills the promise that Stone showed on 'The Soul Sessions,' revealing the singer to also be a talented songwriter who soars even higher with her own material." - Chuck Arnold, PEOPLE, October 4, 2004

"'Mind, Body & Soul' is expected to be the hottest-selling debut this fall." - Josh Tyrangiel, TIME, August 30, 2004

"Instead of of old R&B songs done the traditional way, ['Mind, Body & Soul'] the album consists of 14 song, 11 of them co-written by Stone, melding classic soul elements with hip hop beats and other contemporary pop and R&B textures... The new songs that Stone had a hand in writing gie the album a stronger sense of personality." - Randy Lewis, LOS ANGELES TIMES, September 27, 2004

"Possessing a rich deep soulful belt unlike any singer of her generation, the 17-year-old Stone has come into her own as a major talent on the rise." - Peter Galvin, NEW YORK POST, September 5, 2004

"She sounds like an old soul, with an angst-ridden, water-bubbling-over-the-rocky-riverbed voice that has been likened to Janis Joplin and her idol, [Aretha] Franklin." - Caroline Palmer, VOGUE, September 2004

"Stone's first full stab at original material is a charmer, not only because of her gutsy voice, but also because the funk and soul-inspired songs sound like they could have been recorded at Muscle Shoals in 1975... Stone is light years ahead of her peers when it comes to good taste." - Dimitri Ehrlich, INTERVIEW MAGAZINE, October 2004

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Joss Stone Mind, Body & Soul

- In 2003, this soulful songstress from Devon, England released an album of covers entitled The Soul Sessions. Stone proved herself by taking on the challenging task of singing classic R&B songs from legends like Marvin Gaye and Aretha Franklin. Now only seventeen years old, she has performed a much-needed resurrection of soul music with Mind, Body & Soul; an album she describes as her "real debut album".

The first time I heard Stone was on the Ellen Degeneres show back in October 2003. I was in awe of her voice and wondered why she hadn't already burst onto the music scene. I immediately purchased her album and was fortunate enough to catch her live act a number of times. Having become an avid fan, I eagerly anticipated the release of her next album and was satisfied even after hearing the first track.

The CD definitely speaks for itself, curing musical cravings for the mind, body, and soul. Stone has a way of handling R&B stylings and taking the listener on a journey back to the hey-days of Motown. At the same time, she keeps things fresh and contemporary. The first single that received radio play was "You Had Me", an anthem for all the ladies who’ve left their pathetic boyfriends. This song showcases her dynamic voice and is set to a funky musical backdrop, as are all the tracks on this album. Her vocal dynamics are highlighted on each track. "Don't Cha Wanna Ride", samples from the classic tune "Soulful Strut" and has the potential to become one of her more prominent singles. On more laid-back, jazzy tracks like "Jet Lag", one can't help but imagine her singing onstage in an intimate performance at a smoky bar. Every single track on this album is soulfully rich and contains many textures of jazz and R&B. She makes full use of piano, guitars and horns, which definitely works to her advantage. Stone has surpassed the pop princesses of today and is climbing in the ranks of talented vocalists. Her youth is definitely not shown through her music, but rather provides her with more years to grow toward legendary status. Judging from her latest release, popsters like Britney Spears, Ashlee Simpson, and Jojo will be struggling to collect royalty checks in the future, while Stone will be enjoying her induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

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The Week in Weird

Joss a good bet

Of all the ways an extended family can show its love, we can't think of any quite as heartwarming as wagering hard-earned dough on one of its members. Relatives of Brit singer Joss Stone apparently feel the same way, particularly now that a fistful of bets has earned them quite a windfall. Some of the seventeen-year-old's aunts and uncles pooled their dough to lay bets that she'd have a British Number One before she was, as they say, legal. Sure enough, Mind, Body and Soul hit that peak in ol' Blighty last month, making for a very tidy return for one aunt, who bet a 100 pounds at twenty-five to one odds. If Brit bookies offered a wager on how long it'll take before Joss hooks up with Colin Farrell, we'd be plunking our pennies down right now . . .

New music thrills

Monday November 8, 2004

·Joss Stone – Spoiled (Mind, Body & Soul / S-Curve): Stone is refreshing on the music scene. Only 17, she is relying on her vocal prowess and not shedding clothes (though it may be too soon to tell) to get tongues wagging. But it’s all good just like this track. Taken from her sophomore Body, Mind & Soul, this one will wash over you and have you begging for more.

Joss Stone in voice loss scare

Soul singer Joss Stone has been told to cut her workload, in fears that her famous voice could be ruined forever. Joss has been told to take a rest, otherwise nodules could develop, ruining her voice, and her career. The worried singer will now take time out until January, and in the meantime, will practise singing from her chest, rather than from her throat, in order to protect her voice.

A source revealed, "Joss knows just how valuable a commodity her voice is. As soon as her doctor told her that her voice needed a rest, she didn't hesitate. "She's still a young girl and she hopes she has a long career ahead of her - providing she doesn't overstretch things."

A spokesman for the star added, "Joss saw a doctor and has been warned that her voice is an instrument that needs protecting by having proper rests."

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Joss Stone - Mind, Body & Soul Sessions

01. Super Duper Love (Are You Diggin' On Me)

02. Jet Lag

03. Don't Know How

04. The Choking Kind

05. You Had Me

06. Spoiled

07. Don't Cha Wanna Ride?

08. Victim

09. Less Is More

10. Right To Be Wrong

11. Fell In Love With A Boy

12. Some Kind Of Wonderful

13. Dirty Man (acoustic)

Additional content

Music videos for "Fell In Love With A Boy", "Super Duper Love" and "You Had Me." Mini-documentary filmed while traveling the US and Europe in 2003 & 2004. "Mind, Body & Soul" documentary video.

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S-CURVE RECORDS TO RELEASE FIRST-EVER JOSS STONE DVD, 'MIND, BODY & SOUL SESSIONS LIVE IN NEW YORK CITY,' ON DEC. 14. NY POST DECLARES: "YOU'D HAVE TO BE MADE OF STONE NOT TO HAVE GOTTEN GOOSEBUMPS"

On December 14, S-Curve Records will release 'Mind, Body & Soul Sessions Live In New York City,' Joss Stone's first ever DVD. 'Mind, Body & Soul Sessions Live in New York City' reveals a sizzling Irving Plaza show from September 9, 2004.

In a glowing review of the Irving Plaza show, The New York Post's Dan Aquilante wrote, "Joss Stone tore the intimate club apart... She delivered her music with the kind of gospel power and sultry vocals passion that invite comparisons to both Aretha Franklin in her prime and the late, great Janis Joplin... Stone has a fresh stage effervescence that's infectious to both her backup band and the audience. Even though she's still very young, she understands how to draw everyone into the music... you'd have to be made of stone not to have gotten goosebumps."

The DVD also features music videos for Stone's hits "Super Duper Love," "Fell In Love With a Boy," and "You Had Me." An exclusive, behind-the-scenes mini-documentary is also included, featuring never-before-seen footage of Joss on the road, in interviews, and on stage.

'Mind, Body & Soul Sessions Live In New York City' Track Listing

1. Super Duper Love (Are You Diggin' On Me) / 2. Jet Lag / 3. Don't Know How / 4. The Choking Kind / 5. You Had Me / 6. Spoiled / 7. Don't Cha Wanna Ride / 8. Victim Of A Foolish Heart / 9. Less Is More / 10. Right To Be Wrong / 11. Fell In Love With A Boy / 12. Some Kind Of Wonderful / 13. Dirty Man (Acoustic)

Joss' band: Ray Angry (keyboards and vocals), David Gilmore (guitar), Caesar Griffin (drums), Peter Iannacone (bass), Ellison Kendrick (backing vocals), Artia Lockett (backing vocals), Abel Pabon (keyboards), and Antonia Williams (backing vocals).

[cast0r]

hey svelte need help on thread

^^clicky

[cast0r]

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[Uncle Mike]

Thanks for those wonderful pics, cast0r. I especially like the last one. That face is as amazing as her voice.

Hi, svelte.

[zoltar]

she does have an amazing voice

[Carsten]

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so sweet

[Adriana's_Biatch]

I think shes adorable, amazing voice!