Joss Stone calls this her first "real" CD, and by that I guess she means her first collection of mostly originally-penned songs. As was evident in "Soul Sessions", she has a wonderful voice, very expressive and soulful, honeyed and seasoned to sound about twice her seventeen years. And her friend and mentor, Betty Wright, is on hand throughout the recording as backup. But if I had to pick between the two, I would still be partial to "Soul Sessions." Part of the strength of that CD was her remarkably mature interpretations of some R&B chestnuts. On this release, her songwriting skills are commendable but unremarkable. Of course there are high points, especially "Killing Time", where she really pulls out the stops. But a lot of the musical and vocal stylings here sound like they begin to veer dangerously close to "pop diva" territory. Joss certainly is a looker, and it would so easy to market her that way. Let's hope she doesn't fall into that trap. (And one final note to the producers: A "hidden track" can be fun, but why have ten minutes of dead space preceding it?)

I picked up this CD after catching the end of the video for "You Had Me", that was all I needed to hear. This CD is tight, Joss' vocals are smoky as she sings about love, heartbreak and independence. The vibe through the whole disc is SO cool, with the organs, smooth bass lines and Miss Betty Wright's background vocals - a perfect touch! I have been playing it non-stop everywhere, my favorite songs are the funky "Don't Cha Wanna Ride", "Jet Lag", "Killing Time" and sassy "You Had Me" - although there is really not a bad song in the lot. Joss is a welcome throwback to 70's soul and I look forward to hearing more from this talented young lady! Viva Motown!

I checked out "Soul Sessions" from the local library so I can hear Joss's rendition of the Isley Bros' "For the love of you", after hearing the excellent jazz cover by Hil St. Soul. What a delightful surprise, since all the tracks in the first album absolutely rock! Armed with the vocal appeal that would compare to recent greats Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston, she complements the soulful, floating melodies of "Mind, Body, and Soul" (a la "Spoiled"). Top that with lighter, faster, funk-infused songs like "Dontcha Wanna Ride" and "Jet-Lag", and you've got yourself a real good vocal album.

I'm absolutley impressed with her voice; it is beautiful, profound, sensual, and somber, all at the right moments. She exercises great control (in the tradition of soul), and it helps you carry through the whole album. That's my biggest gripe about contemporary r&b/pop/vocal music, extravagant singing (e.g. Aguilera and the like) is too celebrated, and what ends up happening most of the time is it drowns out the rest of the song or album.
But Stone's album has that subdued quality, and her singing complements instead of overpowering the other elements in her songs. It makes for great listening, when you don't have peaks in the songs so much as a climbing through it, hearing Joss's voice dance with the organ and elec. guitar in the background.

All in all, a quality production. I hope to see more of her in the near and distant future; she's a breeze of originality to the mainstream scene. I think she'll do good for the soul genre (especially because she's not the usual).

One thing I would like to see happen is "Torn&Tattered" becoming one of the singles off the album. The funk factor is just too much on this one. . . From the play on the electric guitar to the resilience of Betty Wright's (& Joss's) backup vocals, to the phat drum breaks . . . and of course(!), credits to Joss Stone's amazing vocal gymnastics. I've seriously experienced some major involuntary shoulder, neck, and hip movement everytime I put this track on. Bravo.
This is the type of funky stuff that will define her as a premier artist (accent on the i).

The greatest thing about Joss' music is that it breaks boundaries and stereotypes. With this album, Joss courageously moves forward on the path laid out by "The Soul Sessions." The result is classic. Very few 17-year-olds could have pulled of an album like "Mind, Body & Soul" so deftly and confidently. Not only does it take pure talent to make a small gem, but hard work and desire. You can tell from the first song, "Right To Be Wrong," that Joss has the desire to be great. R&B is always a challenge even for the most experienced because expectations are high. And Joss has no problems shattering any myths that may have been hanging over your head. I'm confident that Joss' music will be remembered for a long time. In her short 17 years, her contribution already stands out amongst some of her peers that are older in experience and age. "Sleep Like A Child" is the rare masterpiece that eludes most albums. No one can end an album the way Joss does. In this case, it is spectacular. But #15, the bonus track, is the most revealing. It showcases her voice in a way many are unwilling to.

If any album is deserving of being nominated for a Grammy, it's this one. If you don't have this CD, then you're definitely missing out. No one should have to travel this kind of road alone. So I hope people join her on what will be an extraordinary journey throughout her musical career. It will not disappoint.

I won't review the album again since I already have but to comment on Ryan fr Detroit's racist post. This forum is supposed to be for those of us who actually bought an album or whatever item to give our OPINION about our like or dislike for the item - you however wasted precious life moments to review the previous ratings of posters who did not like the album and themselves posted racist comments about Joss Stone. You then added Fantasia to the mix and given the highly racist remarks about her - not about the album mind you but about her personally, maybe you can try to understand how sick r&b/soul music fans are of having some publicist/record company bean counter shove the next GWH singer down our throats simply because that singer is white and sings music other than pop.

Now I happen to like both of Joss' discs and oh my, I'm a Black woman who doesn't buy records based on the race of the singer, just according to whether or not I like his or her voice. Instead of wasting your time race-baiting, ignore those people, comment on the album, and ENJOY THE MUSIC. This world is hateful enough already.