PLACE A CLASSIFIED AD  |  WHERE TO FIND THE BLADE    |   WASHBLADE ON MYSPACE    |   RSS  
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2008
 
Please login or create a new account
  ?
Holiday Gift Guide - Issue One
HOME
CLASSIFIEDS
AUTO GUIDE

THE LATEST
BLADEWIRE
BLADEBLOG
BLOGWATCH
 NEWS
 VIEWPOINT
line ENTERTAINMENT
 FEATURE
 BOOKS
 DISH
 MUSIC
 TELEVISION
 ECLIPSE
 OUT IN DC
 CALENDARS
 FITNESS BY GENRE
 BITCH SESSION














EMAIL UPDATES
New to email
updates? Then click here to find out more.
email address

subscribe
unsubscribe
I have read and agree to our terms
and conditions
.


ADVERTISING
GENERAL INFO
E-EDITION
MARKETING

ABOUT US
ABOUT THE BLADE
MASTHEAD
EMPLOYMENT

 

 

 


Joss Stone finally lives up to her marketing hype with ‘Mind Body & Soul.’


MORE FROM THIS AUTHOR
ANDY ZEFFE


MORE INFO
MORE INFO
‘Mind Body & Soul’
Joss Stone
CD
EMI Records

‘Live and Well’
Dolly Parton
CD & DVD
Sugar Hill Records






Printer-friendly Version

Letter to the Editor

Sound Off about this article







 


MUSIC

A newcomer and a legend
Joss Stone finally proves she deserves some of the hype VH1’s been pushing. And Dolly Parton proves again why she’s a favorite.

ANDY ZEFFE
Friday, October 22, 2004

IF YOU TURNED ON VH1 this past spring, you couldn’t watch more than a few seconds without catching a glimpse of Joss Stone.

The channel was promoting her as a hot artist almost before anyone heard a note come out of her mouth.

With her cover girl good looks and sultry sex appeal, it appeared that Stone was just another pretty girl who could sing decently enough and, therefore, share some of the same musical pie as Britney and Christina.

The novelty was that this 17-year-old blonde from Britain had a soul sound.

VH1 put her on their “Divas” special alongside Patti LaBelle, Jessica Simpson, Cyndi Lauper and other already established greats. Stone butchered a duet with Debbie Harry, and though she fared somewhat better with Gladys Knight she seemed far from the earth-shattering new superstar that VH1’s marketing department was trying to make her.

BUT STONE’S NEW ALBUM, “Mind, Body & Soul” is a reason to give this artist a second look.

Perhaps it is because the album is partly produced by ’70s soul sensation Betty Wright, best known for her classic hit “Clean Up Woman.” The tracks on this collection have the same sassy grit and working class, tell-it-like-it-is quality that gave Wright so much spunk.

Whatever the reason, “Mind Body & Soul” has an earnestness to it. It doesn’t sound like an album written strictly to have a few radio hits. If anything, the songs may be too rooted in funk to spawn heavy mainstream radio airplay.

Stone doesn’t go for “American Idol”-style vocal tricks and gratuitous yelps and screams. She sings it straight and smooth for the most part, something many of her contemporaries could learn from.

Things get off to a soulful start with the opener “Right to be Wrong,” complete with groovy Stevie Wonder keyboards, triumphant drums, the increasingly rare guitar riffs, and almost gospel-like choir back up singers.

The feel-good grooves continue on “Jet Lag.” The lyrics are certainly the stuff of those late night love broadcasts, with: “I’ve got jet lag and I’ve never even left the ground, it’s like that every time you come around.”

And Stone co-wrote 12 of the tracks.

WHILE STONE IS BUSY establishing herself, diva Dolly Parton continues to retain her status as a gay favorite and an even bigger Tennessee tycoon.

The country superstar is adding 10 new rides and more acres to Dollywood, the cash cow theme park that attracts 2.2 million visitors a year. So why shouldn’t the country queen use her domain to record “Live and Well,” her new double CD and live DVD?

“Live and Well” was filmed and recorded in December 2002, during Parton’s “Halos & Horns” tour.

The voluptuous blonde is right at home at Dollywood’s Celebrity Theater, and her performance doesn’t disappoint.

Parton performs 22 numbers, ranging from newly penned tunes to old favorites.

Surprisingly, the longest number isn’t one of her tunes or even a familiar country tune by another songwriter. Instead, it is a more than seven-minute version of Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven.” Parton takes this Jimmy Page and Robert Plant classic rock staple and makes it all her own.

She closes out with what wasn’t her biggest hit, but her best-known song, “I Will Always Love You.”

“Alive and Well” is a must have for any Parton fan.



 

email   password
The following comments were posted by our readers and were not edited by the Washington Blade.  We ask that you treat others with respect; any post deemed offensive will be removed.


 

national | local | world | arts | classifieds | real estate | about us

© 2008 | A Window Media LLC Publication | Privacy Policy