The Soul Sessions, Vol. 2

A win-win variant

It seems that it all happened just yesterday, but a decade has passed since then. That is only because soul fans still remember and treasure Joss Stone’s debut The Soul Sessions, featuring the sixteen-year old girl surprisingly easily and confidently doing covers of the genre’s best from fifty years ago. The voice and image of the then fragile and innocent Stone contrasted the picture of soul stereotypical soul performers, yet this contrast was only a supplement to the main component, the indisputable talent and inborn artistry demonstrated by Stone who had charmed listeners from both shores of the Atlantic. Over the following years they have been waiting and hoping for the English singer to finally release a more powerful, impressive record, but the new CDs no longer had the effect of novelty and suddenness the debut one produced. Many must have foreseen that one day she would come back to making a cover collection, and idea that proved its feasibility. It was just a matter of time.

Genre symbiosis

The bulk of the album is composed by the tracks joining the features of soul and funk. Joss’ mighty voice and energetic rhythms do their best on Pillow Talk, While You’re Out Looking For Sugar, and (For God’s Sake) Give More Power To The People. Surprisingly to many, on Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye Stone shifts to a more lyrical content as her vocals display plenty of fragile and gentle intonations. What gets closest to pure soul is one of the album’s highlights, Teardrops, embracing both strong emotions and lavishing musical accompaniment signifying achievements of the genre’s top masters. The most prominent track not following the chosen stylistic path is The High Road, borrowed from the American indie rock band Broken Bells. On the whole, Joss Stone is apparently inspired by the American scene which conquers her with its impulsivity, unrestrained flaming temper. They are all fully broadcasted through her vocals as she sings in a voice of an experienced performer and a woman who has been through a lot over these years. But Joss is only twenty five…

A vocal like that would fit in a y genre

The quite expectable and justifiable title, The Soul Sessions Vol. 2, gives an insight into what should be anticipated on Joss Stone’s new album, and, at the same time, revoke nostalgic feelings of those who have been with the singer for quite a while. The similarity between the two compilations is made even more striking by the fact that the record was released on the same label and prepared by the same producer. So, what is new? Well, first of all, new is Joss Stone herself, who is no longer that girl with a voice decorating soul hits of the past century. The singer’s voice has naturally got deeper and stronger, which enables her to demonstrate a wider range of vocal tricks. Secondly, the set of the new record offers slightly less old stuff, mostly songs taken from the seventies and eighties. No doubt, in terms of marketing, this move will benefit as much as it can. And it is not only about the focus at the American audience now experiencing a refreshed interest in soul, but rather about the genre complexity of the record’s material. After all, when listeners come to like the vocals, they only want the music to be of a high quality.