Joss Stone - Colour Me Free [Album]

Virgin Records America

October 10, 2009, 08:32 PM

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Joss Stone has some serious soul and anyone who disagrees with that fact is downright crazy, or deaf, but probably just crazy. As cliché as it sounds, Joss Stone literally could sing the phone book and turn the tracks into a multi-platinum record. The young and extremely talented British singer-songwriter has accomplished a lot in her young career; winning the BBC television show Star For A Night, at the age of 14, two Brit awards and one Grammy award, and selling over ten million albums worldwide.

Joss Stone’s latest effort, "Colour Me Free," according to Stone, was a spur of the moment thing: “I kind of woke up one morning and wanted to make an album", she says. "It's very, very raw. It's a bunch of musicians, writers and myself, and we're just jamming, basically."

The resulting product is a soul-tinged powerful set of tracks that display Joss Stone’s virtuosity as a singer and her skill at song-writing. The opening track ‘Free’ displays Joss Stone’s assertive and daring attitude, “Don’t tell me that I won’t, I will…Don’t tell me cause I know what’s real, what I can do.” The track ‘Governmentalist’ is a moody 70s R&B-like track that rails on her disdain for the lack of progress and action by British Government, “How come we ain't getting any closer, trying to find the truth behind the lies?” ‘Governmentalist’ also features a lyrically moving guest performance by rap virtuoso Nas. ‘Could Have Been You,’ ‘4 and 20,’ and ‘Girlfriend On Demand’ address relationship woes and downfalls with Joss Stone’s trademark vocal confidence and lyrical certainty.

Overall, "Colour Me Free" is a great album. All of the tracks feature intelligent lyric writing (see ‘Governmentalist’) and of course Stone’s strong soulful voice. The woman hits every note just right. However, the track ‘You Got The Love,’ a gospel song about faith and confidence in God seems to be a little out of place on an album filled mostly with either angst ridden love songs or other more emotionally charged songs that are trying to make a point.

Joss Stone’s faithful fans will definitely be pleased with the singer-songwriter’s latest effort. Soul, Blues, and R&B fans who haven’t given Stone much beyond a casual listen should reinvest their ears to Joss Stone and "Colour Me Free." She is going places.

My Three Fave Tracks:

1. ‘Free’-motivational, uplifting, and fun to listen to.
2. ‘Lady’-stripped down, simple, and infectious
3. ‘Stalemate’-one of the better female/female duets I’ve heard in a while and possibly the catchiest track on the album.

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