(as published in StarTwo, The Star Malaysia - Feature
01/08/2007)
IF THERE'S one thing that distinguishes Joss Stone from the
rest of the artistes on the pop music periphery, it has to be her honesty.
"I think a lot of people are confused about what it means to be an artiste or a musician. I've come to the point where I've just decided to be free, to admit the fact that I'm not so perfect and I'm human... It's refreshing to be honest and I'm proud to be able to have it in my music," she said in a recent phone interview from London.
Stone exuded an earnest, down-to-earth charisma – it was
obvious that she did not reply to questions from a rehearsed promotional
script.
The British soul singer-songwriter has been nominated for
four Grammy Awards, sold over 7.5 million albums worldwide, gone on the Oprah
Winfrey show and performed at Live 8 in 2005, this year's Live Earth and the
recent Tribute to Diana concert.
She revealed that it's only with her latest album,
Introducing Joss Stone, that she found a true musical reflection of who she is
and what she's about.
"The difference between this album and the last two is
that this is all me – my music, my words and my soul. I'm the creator,"
she said proudly.
Introducing Joss Stone marks her third musical effort, but
it's also the first album that comprises her own composing efforts entirely.
Stone was in Barbados throughout the lyrics-writing process,
and later went to the Bahamas to work with critically-acclaimed music producer
Raphael Saadiq for the production.
She revealed that most of the music on her first and second
album were more of a learning process for her, to pick up on the workings of
music production.
On Introducing Joss Stone, she felt that it was time to show
her true self as a musician and use what she had learned.
"That's why it was so very refreshing to work with
Saadiq – he really listened to me, and there was a lot of freedom to throw
around different ideas. It was a wonderful collaborative experience," she
said.
She also said that the calm, sunny and warm environment of
the Bahamas was a subtle catalyst for the overall musical warmth of the new
album.
Besides Saadiq, Stone also collaborated with writer and
producer, Novel, and Fugees singer, Lauryn Hill.
The 19-year-old artiste described working with different
musicians as "a great, inspiring experience" because "everyone
had a different personality" that she could learn from.
She also described her new album as a reflection of her
progress – both as a musician and an individual.
"I used to be just this girl who sings but now, I know
that I'm a musician and I know exactly what I want.
"My music has changed and I've changed. In fact, I hope
I'll never stop changing ... Change means growth and I think I've learned to
embrace change, not fear it. That's what the album is about, I'm
sharing what I've learned," she said.
Unlike the first two albums – The Soul Sessions and Mind,
Body and Soul – the new album marks a return to the basics. It is a soulful,
musical excursion with the vintage sounds of the 70s R&B, Motown
harmonies and classic funk melodies. These mesh perfectly
with hip hop's attitude-fused break-beat vibes.
Stone's rich, charismatic and soulful voice remains the
focal point in Introducing Joss Stone – each track is a concentrated musical
powerhouse tapping into two generations of soul music evolution.
Stone names legendary soul musicians like Aretha Franklin,
Al Green, Gladys Knight and James Brown as her major influences. However, she
thinks that it's impossible to define soul music.
"I think it all depends on how you want to look at it.
I can listen to a good piece of rock music and find soul in it. For me, soul's
everything you feel strongly about, it's real emotions that move you," she
said.
That's how she feels about the inspiration for her music as
well.
"Inspiration is everywhere. I can walk down the streets
and find interesting things to write and sing about," she said.
At a time when soul music is slowly moving down to generic
revivals of emulated voices, Stone's simple philosophy and honesty is what
makes Introducing Joss Stone a true reintroduction of soul music to our times.
Stone is currently in London, preparing for her next music
tour in the United States.