Her debut album, The Soul Sessions, consists of classic soul tracks by Betty Wright, Aretha Franklin, Laura Lee and Bettye Swann and was released in late 2003. It reached the top 5 in the UK albums chart, and also made the top forty of the U.S. Billboard 200 album chart.
Joss Stone was nominated for "British Breakthrough Act", and won "British Female Solo Artist" and "British Urban Act", entering the Guinness World Records for being the youngest BRIT Award solo winner at age seventeen.
After achieving critical acclaim for The Soul Sessions, Stone recorded an album full of original songs in 2004 titled Mind, Body & Soul.
It proved to be an even bigger success than her first album, as it debuted at #1 in the UK (breaking the record for the youngest female ever to top the albums charts there, a record previously held by Avril Lavigne).
Stone began working on her third studio album, Introducing Joss Stone, at Compass Point Studios in Nassau, Bahamas, in May 2006.
It was released on 12 March 2007 in the UK on Virgin Records, involving production by Raphael Saadiq and collaborations with Lauryn Hill, Common and Joi.
Stone describes it as "truly me. That's why I'm calling it Introducing Joss Stone. These are my words, and this is who I am as an artist".
The album debuted and peaked at number twelve on the UK Albums Chart. It also debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 selling 118,000 copies in its first week, becoming the highest debut for a British solo female artist on the U.S. chart, surpassing the record previously held by Amy Winehouse with Back to Black. It has sold 60,000 copies in the UK since its release.
Joss Stone was nominated for the MOBO Award for "Best UK Female" in September 2007, but lost out to Amy Winehouse.
Tell Me 'Bout It, the album's lead single, debuted and peaked at number twenty-eight on the UK Singles Chart—where it stayed for three weeks only, and peaked at number eighty-three on the U.S Billboard Hot 100.
The second single, Tell Me What We're Gonna Do Now, a collaboration with rapper Common, made the top sixty-five of the U.S. Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.
Joss Stone turned its music video to a Product Red — this means that the video is available online over iTunes Store and that the gains from these sales revert to Product Red, an organisation which helps women and children in Africa affected by HIV and/or AIDS.
Joss Stone is the first artist to do this, entering the Guinness World Records once again.
On 4 October 2007, Stone's official website confirmed Baby Baby Baby as the album's third single.
Stone's fifth album, LP1 was released on 26 July 2011. The Somehow Songfacts says that the long player was the first release through Stone's own Stone'd Records and was recorded in just a week at Blackbird Studios in Nashville. Stone fought a legal battle with her record company EMI to release her from her contract and The LP1 album title signifies the fresh start the singer felt she was making.
Trivia:
Worryingly for fans of Stone, she recently confessed that singing is not a career she plans to stick to: she told a journalist recently that she would like to give it up in a few years to become a normal housewife with a husband and children.
Singles:
* 2004 - Fell In Love With A Boy
* 2004 - Super Duper Love
* 2004 - You Had Me
* 2004 - Right To Be Wrong
* 2005 - Spoiled
* 2005 - The Right Time (Cover of Extra for the GAP-Ad)
* 2005 - Don't Cha Wanna Ride?
* 2007 - Tell Me 'Bout It
* 2007 - Tell Me What We're Gonna Do Now
The Chokin' Kind
Joss Stone Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Didn't you know it babe
Didn't you know it
Why couldn't you be content
With the love I gave oh yeah
I gave you my heart
But you wanted my mind, oh yeah
Your love scared me to death, boy
That's all it is
You can kill a girl
With a bottle of poison or a knife
I know you can
And hurt her more to take her pride
And run his life
Oh it's a shame boy
Whatever it is boy
I surely hope you find, oh yeah
I tell you that hat don't fit my head
Oh, it's the chokin' kind
It makes me want to
Oh yeah, oh listen to me
When you fall in love again boy
Take a tip from me oh yeah
If you don't like the peach,
Then walk on by the tree
That's what you better do, honey
Find what you want boy
Keep it, treat it, sweet and kind, oh yeah
Oh let it breathe, don't make it the chokin' kind
Oh no, don't break my heart baby
Oh no, I know you love me truly I do, honey
But your love scares me to death boy
It's the chokin' kind
That's all it is
In "The Chokin' Kind," Joss Stone voice her concerns about a toxic and suffocating love that threatens to consume her. She begins by expressing how she initially meant to love her partner, asking if he knew it. She questions why he wasn't content with the love she gave him and instead wanted her mind, indicating that he had control issues. She goes on to admit that his love scared her to death, referring to it as the "chokin' kind." The title "The Chokin' Kind" symbolizes the kind of love that restricts and suffocates individuals, making it difficult for them to breathe and live their lives freely.
In the second verse, Stone explicitly states that such love could be deadly, emphasizing that a lover could kill the object of their affection with poison or a knife. She points out that someone hurting a person's pride could hurt them even more and end up controlling their lives. The singer then urges her partner to find what he wants and keep it sweet and kind instead of making it the chokin' kind. By doing so, Stone advocates for healthy and loving relationships that prioritize individuals' well-being and freedom from control and restriction.
Line by Line Meaning
I only meant to love you
The singer's intentions were pure - to love the addressee without any ulterior motive.
Didn't you know it babe
The singer wonders if the addressee was aware that they intended to love them sincerely.
Didn't you know it
Reiteration to emphasize that the singer's love was whole-hearted and true.
Why couldn't you be content
Despite all that the artist had to offer, the addressee was not satisfied with what was being given to them.
With the love I gave oh yeah
The artist feels like they had given their all in terms of love and affection.
I gave you my heart
The singer gave away their deepest emotions and affections to the addressee.
But you wanted my mind, oh yeah
The addressee was hungry for more than just the singer's love and affection, they sought control over the singer's thoughts.
Your love scared me to death, boy
The addressee's overwhelming love felt like suffocation to the artist.
Oh it's the chokin' kind
The overwhelming and suffocating love of the addressee is equated to a physical choking that the artist is experiencing.
You can kill a girl
The track expands to talk about the dangers of relationships and the wounds that love can leave on a person.
With a bottle of poison or a knife
One can cause harm to another in various ways, not just through physical violence.
I know you can
The artist acknowledges that someone can deliberately hurt another.
And hurt her more to take her pride
Harm can often be emotional, as attacking another's dignity and pride can hurt more than physical harm.
And run his life
Someone can also wield enough emotional power to control another's life.
Oh it's a shame boy
The attacks mentioned are a pity, as it is not how love should operate.
Whatever it is boy
The artist acknowledges that different people have different ways of expressing and perceiving love.
I surely hope you find, oh yeah
The artist wishes that the addressee finds a way to love that doesn't suffocate or hurt their partners.
I tell you that hat don't fit my head
The singer asserts that such oppressive love doesn't work for them and is ill-suited to their needs.
Oh, it's the chokin' kind
The singer reiterates that the love they were subjected to feels suffocating.
It makes me want to
The artist is motivated to give some advice to those who may have experienced a similar form of love.
Oh yeah, oh listen to me
The artist emphasizes that the advice they're about to give is important, and hopes that others will take heed.
When you fall in love again boy
The artist is looking toward the future, when the addressee might fall in love again.
Take a tip from me oh yeah
The singer is about to give the addressee a piece of advice on how to make the love they give someone else more healthy.
If you don't like the peach,
If one doesn't like what is being offered to them, it's best to look elsewhere.
Then walk on by the tree
If you know you won't like what's being offered, don't stick around - move on to another option.
That's what you better do, honey
The singer is stressing that the advice they're giving is the better, more healthy option.
Find what you want boy
One should actively search for what they think is a better fit for them in terms of love.
Keep it, treat it, sweet and kind, oh yeah
Once you've found the right love, it's important to nurture it and treat it well.
Oh let it breathe, don't make it the chokin' kind
The artist is echoing the same sentiment - avoid overbearing, suffocating love that strangles the other person and stifles the relationship's growth.
Oh no, don't break my heart baby
The singer is crying out in pain at having experienced that kind of love, and pleads for it not to happen again.
Oh no, I know you love me truly I do, honey
Despite the situation and the hurt it has brought, the singer is still fairly certain of the addressee's love for them.
But your love scares me to death boy
While acknowledging the addressee's love, the artist is still concerned about getting hurt because of how overwhelming it can be.
It's the chokin' kind
Reiteration of how suffocating the love can be.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Royalty Network, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Harlan Howard
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind