The Soul Sessions' lets music speak for itself

Glance at the cover of Joss Stone's debut album "The Soul Sessions," and you'll know no more about the artist's identity than you did before. A microphone obscures her face, her eyes are closed.

Now perhaps you're thinking "Marla Hooch," but make no mistake about it: the face of this 16-year-old singer from Devon, England is anything but disagreeable. In fact, based on looks alone, she could blend in easily with a crowd of Spears or Aguileras.

So why the effort to keep the face of this hot Brit ambiguous? In a musical age that is all about image, Joss Stone and S-Curve Records have gone and done something that threw us all for a loop: They let the music speak for itself.

Despite her considerable talent, Stone's effort to put her sound before her appearance may help to explain why Americans are just starting to hear the name of this soulful singer, even though "The Soul Sessions" was released in the U.S. nearly a year ago.

She's young. She's British. And she's making a name for herself covering almost-forgotten soul classics of the '60s and '70s. Her repertoire includes songs made famous by legends such as the Isley Brothers, Joe Simon, and even Aretha Franklin, and the talented singer has also thrown in a re-worked version of "Fell in Love with a Girl" (re-titled "Fell in Love with a Boy"). With Stone's no-nonsense sound and a bassline that warrants multiple listenings in itself, this cover has left even The White Stripes speechless.

At age fourteen, Joss Stone was discovered in England when she won a talent show by singing "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman," and soon came to the U.S. with plans of writing and recording what was supposed to be her debut album. These plans were put on hold, however, when Stone met and signed with Steven Greenburg, president of independent label S-Curve Records, who pushed her career in a different direction.

Impressed by the strength of Stone's vocal talents, Greenburg brought in a group of soul music's veteran musicians with the idea of recording only a few tracks, but the chemistry that resulted from combining Stone's natural propensity for soul music and the efforts of musical legends Betty Wright, Timmy Thomas, Willie "Little Beaver" Hale, and Latimore was too electric to stop there.

With added appearances by contemporary R&B/hip-hop masters, ?uestlove (of The Roots) and Angie Stone (no relation), the group recorded what is now "The Soul Sessions" in only four days. The result was a collection of masterfully-reworked tunes that showcase Stone's natural vocal and ad-lib skills and leaves listeners wanting to hear more.

The beauty of "The Soul Sessions" is that, though composed largely of covers, the album doesn't lean on the tracks' original versions. Listeners needn't have heard any of the classics to love this collection because Joss Stone is gutsy enough to redefine these songs and make them her own. On the other hand, fans more familiar with '60s and '70s soul will appreciate the authenticity of the sound, and thank Stone for not attempting (impossibly) to imitate Aretha Franklin.

Versions of "The Chokin' Kind" and "Victim of a Foolish Heart" demonstrate Stone's refined sense of phrasing and improvisation. The balanced singer uses a voice that is powerful but never harsh. She won't let you forget her ability belt it out every now and then, but she never intimidates her listeners with showiness. If singing just one note is enough, she sings that note and leaves the other twelve for the Mariah and Christina wannabes.

However, the album is not without its pop influences. As MTV audiences have shown, "The Soul Sessions" is not reserved for Al Green and Dorothy Moore nostalgics. Songs such as "Fell In Love With A Boy" and "I've Fallen In Love With You" indicate that Stone will be perfectly capable of successfully following in the footsteps of contemporary pop princesses if she so chooses. But we'll just have to wait for her second album, currently in the works alongside veteran songwriters Desmond Child and Nile Rodgers, to find out.

So what can we expect from Stone originals? Well, word has it the new album will be a more contemporary one, with an R&B/hip-hop edge to it. But one thing's for sure: it'll have soul.