Joss Stone @ The EnmoreTheatre - (03/04/2007)

Tue 10th Apr, 2007 in Gig Reviews

R&B Grammy award winner and vocal sensation Joss Stone made her first trip to Australia to promote her most recent album, Introducing Joss Stone, in a single albeit jam-packed show at the forever-delightful Enmore Theatre.

The night got off to a slow start with a – dare I say it – grating performance by local Sydney singer/songwriter Andrew Ball, who I am convinced went to the same vocal school as James Blunt. Whilst the guy definitely has amazing control of his voice, his poor take of Jamiroqui-ish urban soul failed to impress. Aside from one overly-excited – œwoohoo’ fan, who of course had to sit directly behind me, everybody seemed not to show much interest in Ball, impatient for the Joss Stone show to begin. Afterall it is what they came for.

And when it finally began, with the lights dimming to an ethereal musty pink and an ensemble of instrumentalists and backing vocalists all decked out in old-school blues attire taking to the stage to perform a Stone-less rendition of the hit single - œYou Had Me’, the relieved audience erupted into applause. The cheer only intensified when the giggly Joss Stone emerged from the wings, barefooted and boho with flowy pink hair, epitomising the image of the free-spirited flower child that she has shrewdly created.

I must admit, I had hitherto avoided listening to much of Joss Stone, wrongly consigning her to the same metaphorical box as I would any other pretty 19-year-old pop starlet. But right from the get-go of this Enmore show, I was enthralled in her. Pumping her vocal chords as she did, and without the histrionics of her contemporaries, was something to behold, and on more than one occasion was I reduced to goosebumps by her remarkable ability to straight-up belt the shit out of a song. The girl definitely has a lot of voice, and to think that she is a mere 19 years of age!!

Playing up the retro R&B flavour in her music, Stone showcased her talent in such groove-worthy tunes as – œ_Jet Lag_’, to the delight of the audience, and more recent creations like - œHead Turner’ and - œBaby Baby Baby’. With the highly entertaining, incessantly boppy backup singers levelling out what could have become a little bit too much showiness from the lead singer, and with the incredibly tight and effortlessly cool band fleshing out the sound without robbing from it its charming rawness, the show as a whole was truly a treat. I know it has become somewhat of a trend to herald every neo-soul artist as the – œnext best thing’, but I can confidently say that Joss Stone is it and, now that I realise, has been it for quite some time. No tricks, no tawdriness, just that incredible voice deep from the core.