Stoned Love (Intro)
A short Mowtown (The Supremes) inspired introduction.
I Wanna Thank Ya feat. Snoop Dogg
The lead song from the album is a modern soul classic. The song has a summery vibe, a brilliant bass line. Angie's slick vocals sing almost gospel-like about thanking a lover for making her life so good. It's an upbeat, positive track and Snoop's rap appears to be the icing on the cake until Angie resings lyrics from 'Come Into My Life' by Joyce Sims. We are off to a good start.
My Man feat. Floetry
A personal favourite: Heavy bass with catchy verses and a punchy chorus. At times the vocal is so fast it sounds as though Angie is about to break into a rap but she keeps it soulful. The subject matter is the good things about her man so it is another positive song. Angie and Floetry sound good together and the best bit is where they 'go back to that breakdown'.
U-Haul
Tweet is on backing vocals here along with Betty Wright, Missy Elliot and Diamond Stone (Stone's daughter) and this is another favourite of mine. The beat bounces along nicely. The song deals with the break up of a relationship but errs on the positives that come out of it, namely no more upset. The backing singers give the quality of this song away without the need for me to tell you how good it is.
Stay For A While feat. Anthony Hamilton
A classic soul record. Anthony Hamilton has a great voice and his own albums are must-haves. Stone and Hamilton are a couple, he works away but heading home and the song deals with how they miss eachother, how much they are looking forward to seeing eachother and what they are going to do. This is brilliant.
Lover's Ghetto.
The same sample used by Terri Walker on 'This Is My Time' from 'L.O.V.E' (Adventures In The Land Of Music) kicks off this song. I think Terri Walker makes better use of it but this is another good song with Stone's daughter on backing vocals once more.
Little Bit Of This, Little Bit Of That (interlude)
Janet Jackson take note, this is how to successfully incorporate an interlude. Angie talks about what she puts into her music in an attempt to reach the masses.
You're Gonna Get It feat. Diamond Stone
Angie and her daughter's voices unsurprisingly blend beautifully for this song that nods in the direction of 'Black Diamond'. A soulful record with moments that give the listener goosebumps.
Come Home (Live With Me)
Dealing with a similar subject matter as Roberta Flack and a sample of 'Come Live With Me' instantly gives this song a classic soul sound. This is a slow jam where the bass guitar takes the lead in the overall sound. A great track.
You Don't Love Me
Given the title, this should sound darker than 'Come Home..' but the opposite is true. Rather than being sad at the thought that her partner no longer loves her, Stone rationally explains the reason for the slipping standards in the partnership. It's another head-nodder.
Remy Red
Another mid-tempo track, though this one is for dancing. The lyric describes the meeting of eyes across a crowded room and the sound is smooth, even though the man in the song is anything but: he says himself he has two left feet but asks for a dance. I like this one.
That Kind Of Love feat. Betty Wright
Now this is old school! Betty speaks through the introduction and invites Angie to sing about the kind of love that she is after, which is exactly what she does. The bass guitar stands out on this one too and is for nodding your head to.
Touch It (interlude)
Dedicated to Angie's husband. This is what it is, an interlude.
Cinderella Ballin'
There are no duff songs on this album but if I had to pick my least favourite, this would be it. Angie's smooth vocals are there, a soft bassline, finger snaps, it's all there but this does get skipped.
Karma feat. T.H.C.
After a brief slip, Angie is back at her best and this song is another favourite from the album. She sings about what the title implies and she picks up on the message of the extraordinary 'Wish I Didn't Miss You' that whatever you put out there comes back to you. The bass guitar is easy to pick out of this one too and the slick rap by T.H.C. fits in nicely.
Wherever You Are (Outro)
This is, in effect, a repeat of the start of the last interlude.
I Wanna Thank Ya (No Rap)
It's the first song without the rap if Snoop Dogg should not be your thing. With or without the rap, this is still a good song.
'Black Diamond' and 'Mahogany Soul' are both great albums so it is reasonable to have thought that at some point, Stone was going to be off form and put out an average record. With her third solo release she does no such thing (album five appears to be where the stumble takes place. Unexpected to be reviewed soon). For anyone that loves Soul or just a beautiful voice, this album is for you. Angie Stone should be up there with the likes of Alicia Keys, she has it all. A move to Stax has failed to increase her popularity and the must-have 'Baby' collaboration with Betty Wright from 'The Art Of Love And War' should have been number one worldwide.
This is a great record and another one that you are going to have to buy!
Angie Stone's Official Website: www.angiestoneonline.net
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