Joss Stone |
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Tue. November 25.2003 12:00 AM EST |
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Joss Stone: The Do Right Girl16-year-old soul sensation has a killer voice, and wants her music, not her image, to sell her album. by C. Bottomley |
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(Karen Fuchs) |
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There are two Joss Stones. The first one you can hear on her album The Soul Sessions. She’s a woman who has been through the wringer and expresses her tribulations and triumphs in songs like “Victim of a Foolish Heart” and “Dirty Man.” Her
Then there is the real Joss Stone, a 16-year-old from the south coast of England. With her blonde hair and apple cheeks, she should be sitting in the front row of a Justin Timberlake concert. Instead she was discovered by Steve Greenberg. The S-Curve label boss had worked with both Hanson and the Baha Men, but he was also a rabid soul fan who compiled a Grammy-nominated Otis Redding box set. After Stone sang “(Sittin’ on) The Dock of the Bay” for him, he decided she needed an education. First Stone teamed with a squad of crack musicians. Betty Wright, the Miami singer responsible for 1972's "Clean Up Woman,” became her vocal mentor. Her band consisted of old pros like Little Beaver - a ‘70s guitar vet turned Amtrak employee. They set to revitalizing R&B gems so arcane many of the original artists had probably forgotten them. Stone makes them live again - ripping into the unknown Sugar Billy’s “Super Duper Man” and bringing the Isley Brothers’ “For the Love of You” to a boil. Her slow burn take on the White Stripes’ recent “Fell in Love With a Girl,” though re-titled “Fell in Love With a Boy,” , should get her schoolmates’ approval. The rare groove enthusiasts can applaud Stone’s mature tastes and technique. For the rest of us, Sessions is one hell of an introduction - to both the singer and her songs. Stone can turn it on live, too, as she proved at the VH1.com Studios. In conversation, though, this old soul turned out to be a charming girl quick to giggle, in love with Carla Thomas and the Isleys, and still hoping to catch Timberlake’s eye. VH1: Tell me about the guy that broke your heart. Joss Stone: [Laughs.] The guy that broke my heart?! VH1: No one could make a record like this without having their heart broken. JS: Who’s to say it’s a guy? Who’s to say it’s a boyfriend even? There’s a lot of mystery in that. [Laughs.] VH1: Wow. Who is this person? JS: Well, [Laughs.] it’s not just one person. I’ve come across a lot of people, in my life, that have just been like … not very nice. But then again, I’ve come across hundreds of people that are really cool. So it’s like, I don’t wanna focus on those people that are just … mean. I dunno, there’s a good side to every person, so I have to look at that rather than look at the bad side, ‘cause they’re just bad vibes. VH1: So, if I ask you who’s sexier, Justin Timberlake or David Beckham - is that a bit of a redundant question? JS: That’s a hard one. Justin Timberlake. Because he can sing. Oh my God - he has soul! [Gasps.] I love his album. I really want to sing with him. He’s really cute, yeah. [Watch Clip] VH1: You couldn’t even tell you were 16 from the CD cover. JS: Well, it’s about music, not image. That’s the whole idea of the cover. You don’t wanna be buying a CD just because someone looks good. What’s the point? It might sound sh*t - sorry! [Laughs.] It’s weird, but music has been labeled as a color. People say “black music” or “white music.” It shouldn’t be labeled at all, because it’s sound. You can’t see my voice. You just have to listen. VH1: How did you get from England to singing Isley Brothers songs in Miami? JS: I got my management deal from a talent show in England. Then we came to America and were going around to record companies. I happened to meet up with Steve Greenberg. He’s a crazy soul freak, so we’re kinda on the same page, and he pushed me in the right direction! VH1: But you don’t have a load of Carla Thomas 45s back at your house. JS: [Laughs.] I listened to a lot of Aretha Franklin and Al Green, because my parents had really good taste in music. I leaned towards soul and R&B ‘cause of the voice. When I listen to something, the first thing I listen to is the voice. With women’s soul, it’s like they’re not just singing, they’re telling a story. So I think it’s more special than any other type of music. I was kinda drawn to it. [Watch Clip] VH1: When you signed with your management deal, did they try to turn you into a pop singer? JS: I didn’t wanna go do the usual pop princess kind of thing, because it’s not me. When I was listening to Aretha, I would think, “Why don’t we make this music anymore?” Pop and contemporary R&B and hip-hop and country, they’re all good and everything, but slowly it’s got more image-conscious and manufactured. It’s, like, so boring now. There’s some good stuff out, but there’s a lot of crap. So I was like, why would you stop making something that’s like amazing and start making something that isn’t? [Watch Clip] VH1: At the same time, you haven’t gone for the most obvious selections. JS: I’d known a couple of the songs before, but, as soon as I was signed with Steve, he would have me in his office, playing song after song. He was educating me with stuff that I had never heard of! [Laughs.] I was like, “I’m not sure I wanna do covers, because when I’ve listened to some covers of originals that I love, I’m like, Why did you cover that?” Steve was like, “We’ll do obscure tracks that nobody’s heard of, and they’ll have to think whether it’s original or not.” So I’m like, “Okay, we’ll try it.” VH1: Who was the biggest vocal discovery you made? JS: Carla Thomas. When I heard her live version of “I’ve Fallen in Love With You,” I was like, “Oh my God.” That was one of the first songs Steve played me. It was amazing. I had the version that she did on her album, and her live one was so much better. It’s like there’s a little bit of magic in that one. I loved it then, but I don’t think I did it justice. I think she does it better! VH1: As a performer, what’s running through your head, when you’re singing something like, ‘Dirty Man’? That’s requiring a lot more experience out of you than we might expect from a teenager. JS: Yeah. A lot of people think that. But I wouldn’t sing anything if I couldn’t relate to it. The thing is, it’s my business. I’m like, “I’m not gonna tell the world my experiences, because other people are involved. It’s not very fair.” I didn’t write those songs, but I can relate to every one of them. It’s soul music. I have to feel it, in order to sing it with a little bit of soul. VH1: Do you feel physically exhausted by the time that you’re done with “For the Love of You”? JS: It goes on for a while. But I like that song. Oh my God … The Isley Brothers. If I had that song; that was one where I was just like, “Okay, we’re doing that. I have to do this.” I love it! It’s wicked. VH1: Whose idea it was to cover the White Stripes’ “Fell in Love With a Girl”? JS: Oh, that was Steve. He has his little visions. He’s a funny guy. He plays me this song and I’m like, “What? I don’t know how I’m gonna do this, ‘cause it’s really fast. I don’t know how I’m gonna breathe!” And Miss B. [Betty Wright] was just laughing, ‘cause she didn’t know what he was talking about, either. But he was like, “Well, we’ll do it with the Roots.” I was like, “Ah, okay.” And Miss B. had done a scratch vocal, so I could hear what they were talking about. It definitely worked out alright. VH1: When you get a day off, what is it that you like to do? JS: Sleep! [Laughs.] I just chill out with my friends. When I’m at home, I suck up my friends as much as I can, because I miss them so much. VH1: Did you actually play back your record for them? JS: No. I didn’t. [Laughs.] My friend Sarah, she bought the album, ‘cause I’m not gonna give it to her - it’s too embarrassing. She likes it. She likes “Fell in Love With a Boy,” because we changed the name “Billy” to “Sarah” in it. She’s like, “That song’s about me!” I’m like, “Yeah, Sarah! It’s all about you!” VH1: Do you like to shop at all? JS: No. I’m not really a typical girl like that. I can’t stand shopping! It’s like, you’re walking around for hours, you can’t find what you want, and you have to spend money? Nuh-huh. It ain’t right. [Laughs.] VH1: Guys, she sings Aretha Franklin songs and doesn’t like to shop. Ladies and gentlemen, Joss Stone. JS: … and I like football! VH1: But you’d still pick Justin Timberlake over David Beckham? JS: Yeah, but I don’t support Manchester United. I support Liverpool. They’re like rivals. David Beckham is cute but - wrong team. [Watch Clip] |
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