January 5, 2005. Copyright 2005, Graphic News. All rights reserved

Soul sister: profile of teenaged British singing sensation, Joss Stone
By Joanna Griffin

LONDON, January 5, Graphic News:  Joss Stone is proof that youth is not a bar to singing soul. At 17 she has already worked with many of the biggest names in the genre, and she has put her own spin on several classics. The best bit, of course, is that she still has the rest of her life in which to develop the depth and emotion that distinguishes all the best-known divas.

Joscelyn Eve Stoker was born in Dover, England, in April, 1987. Inspired by the first album she bought -- Aretha FranklinŐs Greatest Hits -- she decided she wanted to sing and at 14 performed an Aretha classic on the BBCŐs Star for a Night. Her turn, described as a blend of Gladys Knight, Janis Joplin and Aretha, bagged her an agent immediately. 
Helped by R&B legend Betty Wright and other artists, Stone recorded her debut album, The Soul Sessions, in 2003. Featuring lost soul gems and recorded with hip-hop band The Roots, the album demonstrated that Stone had a maturity well beyond her years. In early 2004 her cover of the White Stripes hit, Fell in Love with a Girl (she changed it to Boy) sold more than two million copies.

So far, so many good covers. But Stone co-wrote many of the tracks on her second album, Mind, Body and Soul, which was released in September 2004. That album marked the sultry songstress out as a serious talent.

She can certainly boast fans in high places -- Lenny Kravitz has said he wants to work with her, and Mick Jagger invited her to sing the title song of the new version of Alfie, a remake of the 1960s Michael Caine movie starring Jude Law. So, unlike the bevvy of Britney imitators, Stone looks likely to stick around.
/ENDS