The 'dean' or music critics cannot stand that album any more than the rest of us. Is it just me, or does that girl shout more than sing? I think she needs to understand, in soul, there are subtleties as well.

"JOSS STONE
The Soul Sessions
(S-Curve)

Sounds like a well-brought-up twentysomething with a sharp band who writes forgettable originals and smothers covers in irrelevant shows of emotion, as on the endless and supposedly climactic Isleys' chestnut "For the Love of You." But as we all now know, there's a backstory. Band, check—Miami legends like Little Beaver and Timmy Thomas, with Miami legend Betty Wright calling the shots. But Stone isn't from Florida, she's from England, and the forgettables are covers too—the kind of soul marginalia Brits have been overrating since Doris Troy was on Apple. She's only 16, which explains the failed climax. And upon reflection she's not so well brought up, else why trade in Aretha's distinct melody for "All the King's Horses" on soul clichés? Norah Jones is herself, give her that. I hate to think what this phenom will have to go through to get that far. C PLUS"

Robert Christgau.

Christgau's a dick. I don't like most of his reviews anyways. Joss has soul. I guess he just doesn't see it.

2freaky4church1 said:

Christgau's so informed, he can even use Google to construct an opinion.
.
[This message was edited Fri May 28 13:51:32 2004 by langebleu]

At least this guy can can voice an original opinion without sucking the corporate dick (Rolling Stone and Clearchannel)

I agree with him

Christgau said:

Sounds personal.

we're so desperate for new artists that appear talented and sincere, we'll grab on to any pensive little moppet dressed in vintage earthtones with a furrowed brow and a musical instrument in tow. i mean, okay, sure - it's a start, but boring is still boring, even if you're not lipsynching it.

not to pick on this joss stone chick or anything, though her stuff bores the bejeezus out of me, but our standards are so low right now that okay artists are being seen as great artists.

but anything's gotta look like genius compared to what they crank out on american idle, soo...

Her single is the most revolting thing I've heard in a spell. She's a female Michael Bolton - some people seem to equate overemoting with having "soul".

I thought you meant he nailed her sexually.

When I was home and had a chance to watch MTV I noticed they played her video non-stop I didn't get it. She wasn't anything special and radio (not that I've giving radio more credbility than MTV since they are both pretty bad) hadn't picked up on it at all and the album wasn't climbing the charts.

I don't know who is pushing this album but Joss Stone ain't going to be Norah Jones (in commerical/critical terms), no matter how much this album is pushed.

2freaky4church1 said:

-----
This guy is being a little harsh on a 16 year old give her sometime to grow-up. Most of the songs are way beyond her comprehension but she has a good voice.

I can't understand the hatred that this girl is getting when people are buying Usher records by the thousands and acting like he is the next Marvin Gaye.

Anxiety said:

i totally agree and i'm very surprised at how many fans joss stone has on this website. usually we prince fans are so much more critical of the bland drather that comes on the radio.

i think joss stone is a sweet girl but perhaps she should stick to being a 16 year old instead of trying to be the next soul sensation.

Supernova said:

Basically, it does. Considering the girl is just 16/17 years old and is signed to a not-so-major label he doesn't even want to give room for artist development. Yet Britney and Christina Aguilera coast along as videhoes and go multi-platinum in the process. Some music critics

laurarichardson said:

THANK YOU AND GOOD NIGHT!

...If I can give that album to my 6o something year old southern MAMA who grew up LIVING hardcore crunchy country ass soul music and SHE dosen't have a problem with it, I too don't understand all the negativity towards a 16 year old child from England who's interested in pursuing the soul music tradition; I mean, can we just STOP IT with the polarization already!?!?

Jeezus, if attitudes like this would have prevailed to the point of stomping out all young people's interest and pursuit of music traditions from other cultures, then perhaps some of our most gifted in the African American community would never have made inroads into say, classical music, or traditonal German/Italian opera; I mean, can we IMAGINE what a shame it would have been to miss out on the contribution of Jessye Norman's IHR HABT NUN TRAURIGKEIT from "En Deutsches Requiem Opus 45" by Brahms if she wouldn't have started at an early age to pursue opera? Or the collaborative forays of Wynton Marsalis and Kathaleen Battle into the works of HAYDYN?

Keep in mind that every young person has to start SOMEWHERE when they make the decision to pursue music as their everyday existance, and it takes YEARS for any young person to be able to mature artistically. If, in the case of Stone, she were a singer that just flat out had NO CHOPS WHATSOEVER I could perhaps understand why people are hellbent on dismissing her as a talent . But being that she can sing, and she's so young and has come this far in her developement in a genre that is completely foreign to her, I would say give the young girl a chance and see if she can stick with this and do soul music the justice it deserves, not unlike the time and devotion it took for people like Quincy Jones, Denyce Graves, and the aforementioned Norman, Battle, and Marsalis (AND COUNTLESS OTHERS) to venture into musical styles from other cultures and preservere artistically...

ReeseStrongnight said:

-----
Right -On !!!!

Anxiety said:

I totally agree with what Anxiety said.

Music is so shit right now that mediocre even looks good to some people.



For more tales of this woeful nature and the state of music these days, see my thread on how much Missy Elliott sucks live.