Colour Me Free By Joss Stone

Joss Stone is a soulful and enchanting vocal talent in the R&B scene. She has sold over ten million albums since she first dropped, The Soul Sessions, back in 2003. Now she returns with her fourth album, Colour Me Free!. The album due out on October 20, is a more developed sound for the English singer.Following in the footsteps of her previous work, Introducing Joss Stone, which of the four was the most experimental, Colour Me Free has a diverse sound with its musicians: saxophonist David Sanborn, Tony Toni Tone artist Raphael Saadiq and legendary percussionist Sheila E. The disc packs twelve tracks that find Stone revisiting her lively sound.

The catchy "Parallel Lines," operates in a high octave blare with Stone's voice dancing around Jeff Beck's fusion and Sheila E's captivating sound. The mellow, "Lady," perhaps a sound Joss Stone finds the most cozy, is sweet and soft in delivery because of its nightclub appeal and coercing social commentary.

Colour Me Free had been pushed back due to record label issues. Joss Stone, said that this record is her most musically "free." The album for the most part seems to invite a bluesy feel, with prompt guitar riffs and bar draping arrangements. Joss pays homage to the 70's on "Governmentalist," which features Nas and "Incredible," both of which sound like they could have come from R&B legends, The Staple Singers.

The lead single, "Free Me," is a rapid gem that should play well on urban contemporary radio with its zesty richness. The final track, "Girlfriend On Demand," finds Joss harmonizing with a piano symphony and delivering masterfully.

Colour Me Free displays a more smoky Joss Stone than previous efforts, however does not match the sultry friskiness of Mind Body & Soul nor the upbeat versatility of Introducing Joss Stone, but glides along as a propelling and sprightly delivery from the England native.

Download: Free Me, Parallel Lines, Lady, 4 & 20, Girlfriend on Demand

Final Grade: B-