British singer Joss Stone was only 16 years old when she hit the mainstream in 2003, armed with a powerful voice and a vintage, soul-based sound. Smartly aligning herself with a number of soul legends on her early records, Joss earned a devoted audience at home and abroad, first for her reinterpretations of classic soul songs (as heard on The Soul Sessions) and then, on future albums, for her songwriting chops and powerful delivery. Joss Stone’s second album, Mind, Body & Soul, focused more heavily on original content than its predecessor. Of its 14 tracks, 12 were either written or co-written by Joss, who became the youngest female to top the U.K. charts upon the album’s release in 2004. Mind, Body & Soul eventually reached platinum status in multiple countries and brought Joss both commercial success and critical acclaim, as well as three Grammy nominations and two BRIT Awards. After performances at London’s Live 8, Bonnaroo 2005, and Superbowl XL, the singer relocated to the Bahamas to record her next album, Introducing Joss Stone, which found Joss experimenting with more modern R&B sounds. Produced by Raphael Saadiq and released in March 2007, the album didn’t fare quite as well as the two previous releases, although it still sold more than one million copies worldwide.
