By Fiona Hurrell, Senior Contributing Reporter
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – British soul singer Joss Stone will be appearing at Rio’s Citibank Hall on Thursday, November 15th, performing tracks from her latest album, Soul Sessions Vol. 2. The album, which was released in July, marks the end of a brief hiatus for the artist and a long awaited comeback for her fans.
No stranger to performing in Rio, Joss Stone appeared at the music festival Rock in Rio in 2011. Recreio resident Leandro Lima, who watched Stone perform on the sunset stage, reveals, “I had heard she was great [live] and […] My feet were certainly moving to her performance.”
Hailing from Devon on the west coast of England, Stone’s distinct soul style vocals make her easily recognizable, as does her physical appearance which conveys the quintessential surfer, hippie girl. She typically sports long, wavy hair, laid-back fashion and often performs barefoot.
In a career that has spanned almost a decade, Stone has established herself as an enchanting singer and songwriter, as well as a record producer and actress. She made her film debut in 2006 with an impressive performance in fantasy adventure movie “Eragon.”
American expatriate musician Alan Pratt has lived in Rio for a number of years and forms part of a band known as Beeliv. Speaking of Joss Stone, Pratt explains, “For me Joss Stone is the genuine article and I always appreciate any artist true to her roots. She combines a first class voice with first class musicians, they are as legit as she is […] Great talent, great looks, great stage presence.”
A far cry from her humble beginnings in rural Britain, Joss Stone, real name Jocelyn Eve Stoker, first rose to fame in 2003 with her debut album Soul Sessions. The album proved extremely popular and was even shortlisted for a mercury prize. She later released her equally admired second album Mind, Body and Soul.
In 2007, Stone made her third album Introducing Joss Stone which catapulted her in to the U.S. market and featured among the top five best sellers on music billboards.
For her fourth album, Colour me Free, Stone returned to her hometown of Devon where she wrote the material in just one week. The album was a great success and the start of a new direction for Stone who broke away from her record label and launched her own, titled, Stone’d Records.
In 2009 she released LP1, which, unlike her previous albums, was met with mixed reviews from critics and prompted Stone to take a short break from music.
Having spent time out of the limelight, it seemed only right that Stone should make her comeback with a sequel to the hugely successful debut album Soul Sessions. Released in July of this year, Soul Sessions Vol. 2 is Stone’s sixth studio album and has been described by music critics as “A powerful, heartfelt and classy comeback.”
With six albums under her belt, a record label and a budding film career it seems there is nothing Joss Stone can’t achieve. At just 25 years old fans can rest assured that their favorite Soul artist still has more to give and far to go in the music industry.
Those wishing to purchase tickets for Joss Stone’s concert can go direct to Citibank Hall’s website. Alternatively, Saraiva book and music store in Rio Sul Shopping or Renner department stores in Leblon Shopping, Rio Sul Shopping and Barra Shopping stock tickets.