SOUL SESSIONS (LP)

Personnel: Joss Stone (vocals); Jimmy Farkas (acoustic guitar); Wille "Little Beaver" Hale, Angelo Morris, Kirk Douglas, Mark Ciprit (guitar); Sam Furnace (saxophone); Benny Latimore (piano); James Poyser, Danny Pierre (keyboards); Jack Daley, Steve Greenwill, Adam Blackstone (bass); Cindy Blackman, Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson (drums); Mike Mangini (tambourine); Ignacio Nunez (percussion); Betty Wright, Angie Stone, Jeanette Wright, Taneka Duggan, Namphuyo A. McCray (background vocals). Producers: Betty Wright, Steve Greenberg, Ahmir "?questlove" Thompson, Michael Mangini. Recorded at The Hit Factory and Criteria Studios, Miami, Florida; The Studio, Philadephia, Pennsylvania; Mojo Studios, New York, New York. She's a 16-year-old from the deep Southwest of England, a place better known for its cream teas than its hot-buttered funk. However, with assistance from Betty Wright (the "Clean-Up Woman" herself), ?uestlove of Philly neo-soulsters the Roots, and an entire roster of classic soul artists, Joss Stone has fashioned a remarkable debut that--with its irresistible fatback drums, swirling organ, and funked-up guitar--takes the listener back to the golden years of early 1970s R&B. Understandably, Stone's youthful voice carries elements of producer Wright's own pipes, and when it's combined with imaginative material such as the White Stripes' "Fell in Love with a Girl," the effect is extraordinary. Wright's classic stripped-down soul production, and the opportunity to hear class acts such as Timmy Thomas, Latimore, and Willie "Little Beaver" Hale performing on the same recording, are things to be treasured. With its superlative company, THE SOUL SESSIONS is an intriguing debut that features a potential heir to the blue-eyed-soul mantle of Dusty Springfield.