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Introducing Joss Stone | 
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| Artist: Joss Stone
Label: Virgin Records Us
Category: Music
List Price: $18.98
Buy Used: $3.89
You Save: $15.09 (80%)
New (53) from $5.00
Avg. Customer Rating:  159 reviews
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
MPN: 76268
UPC: 946376268258
EAN: 0094637626825
Release Date: March 20, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Tracks:
| • | Change (Vinnie Jones Intro) | | • | Girl They Won't Believe It | | • | Headturner | | • | Tell Me `Bout It | | • | Tell Me What We're Gonna Do Now feat. Common | | • | Put Your Hands On Me | | • | Music feat. Lauryn Hill | | • | Arms Of My Baby | | • | Bad Habit | | • | Proper Nice | | • | Bruised But Not Broken | | • | Baby Baby Baby | | • | What Were We Thinking | | • | Music Outro |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com
In the run-up to this, her third album, Joss Stone told a phalanx of glossy magazines that the difference between this disc and the two that preceded it was a newfound clarity of vision. Whereas the other records--their gold status notwithstanding--represented the fumblings of a huge-voiced kid being bossed around by experienced music-biz types, this one, she promised, would reveal the real her. Thus, the titular "introduction." To which anybody who spins the 14 groovy and fully unbuttoned tracks herein will wish to reply not "nice to meet you"--far too lame a sentiment for so fully realized a disc--but "Where have you been all my life?" As good as Joss Stone's previous efforts are, Introducing Joss Stone represents a giant step forward: there's a freshness to these songs that suits her age (19 as of the album's release) and a funkiness that suits modern pop sensibilities. There's also a cross-hatching of visions with artists like Lauryn Hill and Common that will rightly advance her reputation as an artist who can sling disco, R&B, and rock almost as convincingly as soul. Splicing girl-group harmonies with blaxploitation-style funk with Joplin-esque and, at times, Shelby Lynne-reminiscent vocals, Stone works these Raphael Saadiq-produced beats with the stealth and steadiness of a '70s-era legend who's still going strong. "Girl They Won't Believe It," she wails against the tight hoo-hoo harmonizing of talented backup singers on the opening track; get a load of how much she's accomplished in the space of three albums, and you won't believe it, either. --Tammy La Gorce
Amazon.com
Joss Stone Photos More from Joss Stone
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| Customer Reviews: Read 154 more reviews...
 She's got plenty of raunch..... March 20, 2007
75 out of 84 found this review helpful
Joss Stone is back with a transatlantic accent, in both her spoken and singing voice.
It is clear from the outset that this artist is desperate for the world to know, this is the "new" her. .
Featuring a pretentious intro by Vinnie Jones, the Devon lass is implying that she is now a ballsy soul star with a new sound. The red hair and tattoo on the front cover hammers this home, in case you didn't know already.
Her voice still has all the right moves, although she has started to do the 'Mariah thing' - in that each note is stretched to breaking point, taking the energy and replacing it with a 'hear me now' wail.
Lauryn Hill from the Fugees makes special guest appearance on one of the 14 new tracks.
So much so that a line "Watch Me Walk" sounds like "Watch me wail." The single "Tell Me Bout It" out has a touch of the old skool about it, but for all the hype - it is begged and borrowed rather than 'new'.
There is the odd gem which stirs you, like "Tell Me What We're Gonna Do Now" in which the soulstress is more restrained and these tracks benefit from this as they have heart.
But too often, the album tries to be all things to all people. So we end up with a little of Janis Joplin, Mariah, Whitney, Aretha and many other great female singers. Imitation is flattering for these women.
But it also means that the real Joss Stone needs to stand up.
This begs the question, if we are being introduced to this soul star for the first time, who is she?
 Stone Embraces 'Change' Yet Again (2.5 stars) April 11, 2007
60 out of 98 found this review helpful
Troubling as it is, Joss Stone is indicative of a strong problem with popular music, and her haughtily-titled new album "Introducing Joss Stone" continues the indication. Stone has verve and sizzle - there's no disputing the British vocalist has a uniquely talented throat. However, as on her previous releases, the ingredients don't quite jell.
Like 2004's "Mind, Body and Soul," the new record is weighed down by too much style and too little substance. To call Stone pretentious would be a massive understatement. As if it isn't enough that she systematically checkmarks all the soul singer clichés, everything from her image to her album titles to her cover art reflect such an air of self-importance that each CD should come with its own gust of wind. The title sounds ripe for a debut LP - not a third major release from an established artist, and the speech intro by English footballer Vinnie Jones, "Change," further attempts to convey to the listener that, yet again, Stone has thrown a curveball to her creative palette. Please.
Stone's main predicament is that she sounds like an amalgamation of many of her influences, but with far less memorable material. She clearly draws upon classic singers of blues, Motown, even Tin Pan Alley - harkening memories of better, more fully-realized songs than the ones she delivers. This means that, aside from some modern flourishes and mainstream influences, she has hardly made any significant "change" since the last time around.
Jarring lyrics spew out of Stone's mouth left and right. No matter how invested she may attempt to sound or how funky the instrumentation may be, awkward wordplay such as this verse from lead single "Tell Me `Bout It" simply cannot hide:
"Let's have a show of hands, who's addicted to their man?/If I could do the things I want to you, you'd be changing all your plans/You wanna say I'm yours, I wanna say get it/You wanna say, so say, I know what you're thinking babe."
Stone has a strong presence and a likeable, engaging set of pipes, even if her full potential seems to be seething below the surface. Still, it comes as no surprise that the entire record sounds like one very long song that's both overcooked and overzealous. The only slight variations come in the form of cool-as-cucumber ballads like "Bruised But Not Broken" and "What Were We Thinking?," leaving the mildly hooky "Headturner" as, well, the only head turner left on the disc.
As Christina Aguilera keeps on proving, a fine voice does not automatically equal a fine album. Whereas she goes way over the top in her performances, ripping fine ballads to shreds, Stone takes a different course: Holding back too often, and accumulating less than stellar compositions. Both are guilty of imitating their influences far too obviously; in a perfect world, Etta James would be receiving royalties.
At age 19, Stone is still young, and will doubtless go through many a "change" in what is sure to be a long, fruitful career in commercial terms. She may well make fine records one day too, but "Introducing Joss Stone" is merely mediocre; a half-hearted testament to her talent with only the guise of brilliance at its disposal.
Is She Trying To Be Non-Original? March 28, 2007
29 out of 50 found this review helpful
I loved the first Joss Stone cd's because they were more distinct from so much other music out there. Now Joss Stone is going through some wierd phase where she has to sound like everything on the radio and look like every other hoochie out there. I like the bear-footed Joss better. Too desparate to be mainstream.
 Overhyped, Overrated and NO SOUL! March 27, 2007
23 out of 40 found this review helpful
Hmmm, when Joss Stone starts imitating an Amy Winehouse, it means that 'soul' music from Britain is officially dead.
Don't get me wrong. I loved Joss Stone on her debut when she first came out. I mean, at the time, everyone wanted to love the anorexically beautiful white girl who sounded SO much like a talented black soulwoman. She was a novelty piece, lets face it, but at least she had some semblance of a voice, and the production on that CD was tight.
Now, amidst allegations that Joss Stone is an immoral harlet who will 'do anything' for 'good tracks' (and these aren't my words, mind you, its her producers) comes this controversial new album with a really nice cover.
I did sit with this for a good while today and listen to it. Hmmm. First impression wasn't very memorable so I went back to a few tracks a second time. Again, not much to report, except that this album sounds very much like she took the producers took the concept of her debut album and reverse-engineered it on the premise of "how badly could we do it". Well, the album sounds like it could have been recorded by Cassie or Monica, which is a REALLY nice way to kick that concept off. Then, the added instrumentation really get in the way of her sometimes smoky and lovely voice (not as lovely as Corinne Bailey Rae or Melissa Etheridge, but still..... anyway, I digress)
"Music" sung with Lauryn Hill is average. So is "Arms of My Baby". Is it just me or do female vocalists who want to show emotion sort of "scream out" their lyrics these days? I had a similar problem digesting Amy Winehouse's new album.
However Amy has in spades what Joss does not, and this new CD is testament to the fact that producer Saadiq has totally lost it, or just did not have much in the first place. I mean, listen to the 'Intro' and 'Outro' here. It makes Janet Jackson's pathetic interludes from "Damita Jo" sound like masterpieces. If you don't remember those interludes, you aren't missing anything!
To sum up, this was a nonsensical waste of time. But I'll say it again, the album cover was artistic. Too bad that if you open it up, you'l find a more civilized form of horse manure (seriously).
Do yourself a favor and stay away from this overproduced British mess. I'll take some of Simon Cowells' insipid boybands anyday over this trainwreck.
Joss Stone, Into the mainstream March 21, 2007
21 out of 33 found this review helpful
It seems Joss has left the audiophile crown behind and gone more mainstream. She has a great voice, but there is too much "information" going on in the background. Where is the detail of it all? When I "get my listen on", I have a dedicated two channel tube system and there is too much information coming from the speakers. Her voice gets lost. It may be a mainstream CD recording that all sounds the same otherwise. The over use of compression to make the CD louder. Awfulness. This cd sounds more like something my wife would listen to in her car, for "music". It is banned from my audiophile room. Now the CD has ended, there is nothing memorable about it. The new Norah Jones is ten fold better for a "new direction" CD- Audiophile recorded so it sounds good.
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