WATER FOR YOUR SOUL

Reggae soul sister Joss Stone has given us the perfect music for a chilled out Summer with her latest full length release, which is her 7th. Obviously, the seeds were planted 4 years ago, when Joss was part of the group Superheavy, which also included Mick Jagger, Dave Stewart, Damien Marley, and A.R. Rahman. With Water For Your Soul, Joss has added strong Reggae rhythms, World Music, R & B, combined with dashes of Hip Hop. The result is nearly 65 minutes spread out over 14 tracks. I've played this some 20 times over the past 10 days and find myself completely overtaken by the hazy, lazy, soundtrack provided by Joss and her fellow musicians who provide some infectious groves that grab you and don't let go. Damien Marley is reunited with Stone on many of these tunes and he adds some strong back-up to the heady mix. The release opens with the strong tune, "Love Me", which both Joss and Damien wrote together. The songs only get better as you move forward. "Star" opens with a smooth guitar intro, which then gives way to some nice string arrangements, further enhanced by a nice Gospel chorus, as well as some horns, with the nice refrain of "We are who we are, Love us or move on". "Let Me Breathe" begs "Let me be, Let me Breathe, Let me get control of my focus". "Wake Up" declares "Junior gong and Joss Stone, the modern day Janis Joplin, Come to tell you what is happenin'". "Way Oh" sweeps you away with some soothing string arrangements provided by The London Symphony Orchestra. "Underworld" proclaims "Welcome to the underworld, where the people stay high, All of their lives, The Underworld". "Sensimilla" washes over you with "Sensimilla sending me love, Sensimilla sending me Up". My favorite track is "Harry's World" strongly declares, "A friend in need is a friend indeed, but a friend with weed is better, If you wanna get high, Bring your own supply, I didn't know you was a joka smoka". The last track is "The Answer", which declares "Find your strength, Fight for peace, No war in our streets, Let Love win, just give in, Goodness is bright, so you can see". Overall, I haven't heard such a consistent positive recording that delivers both a strong, positive message, backed by some excellent and diverse instrumentation, for quite some time. When I put this on, I immediately let the music flow over me, sweep me away, and move my feet until the music stops. Considering the diverse mix of musical styles, varied instruments and sonic landscapes all blending in to provide a melting pot of sounds, the production on this release blends in quite well. I've got my Summer soundtrack now and I shall let it wash over me. Most Highly Recommended! SMRZ!

I love this album! I first heard Joss Stone playing in a garden store in Port Townsend, WA, and this is the first album I bought. I love it. I listen to it with my headphones on my iPhone when I go for long walks in the neighborhood, and I've been listening to the CD in my car. I love the syncopated rhythms, her voice, the complexity of the melodies, the minor key, the reggae mixed in with other genres of music. I can't wait for her new album to come out in November!

While this isn't my favorite album from Ms Stone I have come to love everything about her voice and choice of music she uses as a vehicle for it.This is a good album to sit out at the beach or park in the summertime and people watch. It is also fine for a night at home. Reggae (island) style cadence (vocal) and beats seems to be a predominate feel and lends the summertime vibe to this album. As always Ms Stone's voice is top notch. Diverse enough in song style choice (some new, some tried and true) keep this from being "another album from an Artist that doesn't change". Which is something I have come to appreciate from JS.

This album is wonderful. It combines what we expect from Joss Stone's lyrics, love, peace, and humanity, and the sound is laced with a heavy reggae riddim! If you're a fan of reggae music, or a fan of Joss, this album is definitely a must have. She has mentioned that she recorded it throughout the world, and there is definitely an international flavor to many of the songs, but the roots reggae rhythms permeate every track. It is an easy album to listen to from start to finish and when you're done, you'll probably do it again! She brings the joy, and will have you dancing around your living room,whether you are 2 or 222.

I will start by saying I am not totally objective as I am a longtime fan of Joss Stone. But I am familiar with most of her music to date and I think this is a wonderful album. It expresses the evolution of a very talented artist. She is free to do any type of music she wants and I know she has been working on this album with a reggae influence for some time now. I have been anxiously awaiting it's arrival and I think it has been well worth the wait. I love this new path she has taken, and I am sure she will keep evolving and bringing us more and varied music in the future. I love her energy and positive view of life and I think it is carried into her music. One thing I can say for sure is that if you ever have the chance to see her in person, do not pass it up. She sounds perfect and will always add a little extra to her show. I highly recommend you give a listen to this album.

Really good CD and packaging and CD was in excellent condition

I heard Joss sing Let Me Breathe on the Tonight Show and had to have that song so I bought the album. I had no previous experience with this singer before that. A few good songs by Joss but way too many are reggae types and sound exactly the same to me. She's been compared to Dusty Springfield and while she is talented, Joss is no Dusty Springfield, far from it. The good songs are very well mixed and she has her own talent for sure but don't expect her to sound like Dusty. I wish the other material was as good as Let Me Breathe but except for one or two other cuts, I didn't care too much for this album overall.

Fantastic artists Joss Stone Love her music

Un grande capitolo della musica soul: Joss Stone come sempre meravigliosa; sa entrare nel cuore persino di metallari estremi come me :) Unica pecca: avrei gradito la bonus track che da anche il titolo all'album. In questa versione non c'è... pazienza

JOSS est top, le CD surprenant sur ses rythmes reggae. La voix est extra et on a du mal a imaginer cette TOUTE jeune fille avec un tel timbre de voix. La soul est présente aussi dans l'album !

Every track is a winner in Joss's unmistakable style. If you're into blues with reggae influence with a great melody, and lyrics that are very meaningful, buy it.

ハッピーでキャッチーだった前作「ソウル・セッションズ2」から3年、我々の手元に届けられた彼女の新作は意外にもレゲエ・アルバムだった。ファンとしてはこの間ずいぶん待たされたように思えるが、世界的なツアーや多くのミュージシャンとのセッションを経て、満を持しての発表である。優しい歌声とミディアムなテンポは季節にマッチして、この夏私のカー・ステレオで常にかかっていた。 「スーパーヘヴィ」で出会ったダミアン・マーリーの後押しが最も色濃い本作だが、インドやエスニックの要素も加わり、純然たるレゲエと言うよりワールド・ミュージックに近いさまざまなサウンドを聴かせてくれる。もともと彼女のハスキーなヴォイスとシリアスな歌詞はソウルとヒップホップに最もふさわしい要素だが、今回はより自由に自分らしく表現できたのではないか。 デビュー以来、ソウルの大御所だけでなくミック・ジャガーやデイヴ・スチュワートら往年のミュージシャンたちから愛される彼女だが、出会った人々の助けも借りて常に変化し続ける息の長いアーティストであってほしい。

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