Joss Stone “Introducing Joss Stone”

Release Date: March 20

Virgin Records

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www.jossstone.com

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

After selling nearly 8 million records, formal introductions would seem perfunctory at best, but Joss Stone’s latest release, “Introducing Joss Stone,” signals the next stage in the singer’s quickly evolving style.

Expanding on the seemingly boundless voice that belies her diminutive stature and youth, Stone combines Motown grooves, funky soul and jazz crossed with scant but effective hip hop beats on her oddly titled third record. Both “Mind, Body and Soul” and “The Soul Sessions” were relatively milquetoast affairs, “but “Introducing” is a funkier, often densely produced record with flair to spare.

“Blue-eyed soul” is at best a sketchy proposition- especially when it comes from a blonde teenager hailing from England- and it would be easy to peg Stone as a pale imitation of Diana Ross, Aretha Franklin, Mary J. Blige or even Beyonce if not for Stone’s expressive voice and the production aesthetic of Raphael Saadiq. While “Introducing Joss Stone” proves the titular singer still isn’t on par with the great soul singers of years gone by, she has tremendous upside.

The album is divided largely into ballads and up-tempo soul juggernauts. While some of the slower material works, it’s in the expressive, soulful amalgams of funk and jazz where Stone shines brightest. Tunes such as “Girl They Won’t Believe It,” “Head Turner” and the scratchy, retro “Tell Me ‘Bout It” mix 70s soul with modern nods to hip-hop. Likewise, the drum and bass heavy, piano plinking “Bad Habit” and the electric- organ driven “Baby, Baby, Baby” all fit well within the context of the record.

The turntable scratches and sparse drumming of “Put Your Hands On Me,” on the other hand, seem a little forced while the maudlin “What Were We Thinking” and the underwhelming “Music” (featuring Lauryn Hill) are both standard, predictable fare. It’s not bad so much as bland.

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“Introducing Joss Stone” also contains a little too much filler at its beginning and end. The needless “Change” introduces the album while “Music” isn’t so much a song as it is an exercise in indulgence. The record isn’t perfect by any means, but Stone proves she’s more than her handlers would have music fans believe.

After selling millions of albums, Stone has evolved and reinvented herself as a songwriter. Her refined sound might not do much to win new fans now, but the record promises bright things to come.