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.
