Joss Stone
What do we do with the conundrum that is Joss Stone? On the one hand, she’s got a powerful, whiskey-deep voice that’s far womanlier than one might expect. On the other hand, she’s a very young, white Briton who hardly has the life experience to validate her soulful ethos. Her Friday afternoon set started off with a sultry line of backup singers who did an old-school R&B warm-up for the 20-year-old soul singer, but has she really earned it? Such entrances are for classic acts, not a former Gap spokeswoman, but there was Stone emerging on “Girl, They Won’t Believe It,” a sassy little number from her third release, Introducing Joss Stone. Clad in a short, geometric-patterned, blue sundress, the former hippie-chick was obviously enjoying herself. She’s clearly now a wo-man. Dedicating “Baby Baby Baby” to the ladies, Stone worked the crowd with a Beyoncé-style armpit presentation. Still, it’s hard to get past the authenticity problem. Perhaps it’s best to take Stone’s lead and just enjoy the music.
This article appears in September 21 • 2007.