Mind, Body & Soul

The sophomore offering from Joss Stone sees the gorgeous Devonian once again collaborating with soul legends like Betty Wright (who produced this album along with Mike Managini and Steve Greenberg) but, unlike her debut The Soul Sessions, this time out she’s singing originals.
She co-wrote half of the 14 broken-hearted tracks here but, still a teenager, presumably she’s not drawing on her own personal life experience. In a sense, this is the problem. Stone has a truly great voice but there’s little or no truth in these songs. When she sings over these well crafted Philly, Miami and Detroit soul grooves, she’s not really singing from the heart. There’s no emotional depth.
Having said that, the girl can certainly carry a tune and comforting songs like ‘Security’ and mournful album closer ‘Sleep Like A Child’ will probably ensure that this album sells truckloads. Undoubtedly hugely talented, Joss Stone’s future as one of the premier pop soul divas seems assured. But only time will tell if she’s ever going to be regarded as legendary.