Joss Stone - You Had Me

Thu 11th Nov, 2004 in Music Reviews

Joss Stone is a remarkable talent without question, maybe not a FasterLouder style of sound but a great talent, regardless of genre bias. This single, You Had Me, takes two tracks from her full-length release The Soul Sessions, is a little bit Anastasia but is close enough to good old fashioned Aretha to give it a bit more guts.

The first single You Had Me is the most shouty-female-singer-songwriter of the tunes, supported by Stevie Wonder-style keyboards. It would be at home on commercial radio, not original by any stretch but it would be a mistake to write young singer off, after hearing just this tune.

The second song Super Duper has received an enormous amount of airplay. If I said “Are you diggin’ on me?” you would know the song I am talking about, no matter how much you try to close your ears and turn your back.

The last track on the single is a live track called Dirty Man and is so sultry, so soulful, so sexy that it is bound to be a winner with anyone who can appreciate a strong, sensual, gutsy female voice. Accompanied only by a solitary guitar, Stone is reminiscent of the earthy womanliness that has been lacking since Janis Joplin’s day. This song says that Joss Stone is not going to be a slave to any one genre, has a versatility that will help her build a strong career, and  may see her rock out a little more if the mood so takes her. I certainly hope so, she has such a clear, gutsy voice which is beautiful to listen to.

Joss is also rumoured to be touring Australia early next year.