By Rob Goald
rsgoald@comcast.net


Joss Stone
Hard Rock Hotel and Casino
The Joint
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Budweiser Concert Series

 A Night To Remember


She may be only 20 years old, but the British soul diva, from Devon and Dover over in England, Joss Stone is a singer-songwriter sensation judging from her nearly sold –out concert at The Joint in Las Vegas last Saturday night.

Joss Stone performs at the Joint in the Hard Rock
Photo credit: Rob Goald

Accompanied by a tight 10-piece supporting band that included a saxophone and trumpet player from the late James Brown’s band, bass, lead guitar, drums, an electric piano, electric organ and three backing vocalists, Stone arrived on stage in an ebullient mood and launched into a powerful vocal with “Girl That Won’t Believe It”.

“Ladies, how are you?” Stone asked the predominantly female crowd who were with her from the moment she stepped on stage barefooted! Displaying a tiny diamond in her nose and dressed in a cross between hip-hop and hippie, Stone danced and moved all over the stage. She took it up a notch to create a feel-good vibe with Head Turner which segued into Super Duper Love from 2003’s “The Soul Sessions” plus other funky, soulful tunes like Put Your Hands On Me, What We Gonna Do Now, What Were We Thinking and Tell Me About It.

Photo credit: Rob Goald

While performing at the Grammy's when she was just 17 people were amazed to see her render a spot-on Janis Joplin or Aretha Franklin with a grownup sound that belied her young age. Now at just about 21 she has sold over ten million albums worldwide and has taken home one Grammy Award. Her first album, “The Soul Sessions”, were brilliant reinterpretations of classic soul tunes. Her latest album, “Introducing Joss Stone”, was released a year ago and she claims it to be her first record without record company pressure.
 
At the Joint last Saturday, Stone performed tunes from this latest recording such as the classic-soul-infused “Baby Baby Baby” and brighter, happier things like “Put Your Hands on Me”. Much of her performance included solid pop-wise R&B with warm acoustic funk grooves and strong melodies.

Photo credit: Rob Goald

Perhaps the keynote of the show was the combination of “Leave me Alone” and “Taking Back My Love” that had her reaching the softer notes with a delicate touch and concluding with a bold, brassy finish and a big smile from her perfect glistening teeth.
With a plethora of original material and solid cover tunes-Stone is best known for her reconfiguring of the White Stripes’ Feel in Love With a Boy. Stone wrapped up her set with Tell Me ‘Bout It, one of the stronger tunes from her latest CD. The cut had each of the 10 backing musicians giving a mini solo.

Joss Stone performs at the Joint in the Hard Rock
Photo credit: J. Ludwig

Returning for an encore, Stone rendered a heart-warming version of Bob Marley’s reggae classic “No Woman No Cry” while tossing red roses to the crowd. It was a night to remember!