Joss Stone Sessions: Soul Singer Covers Broken Bells, Talks Being Broke

Joss Stone has had a tremendous career. She began compelling crowds at the age of 16 with her smokey pipes and undeniable talent, and now the British chanteuse is bringing it all back to her roots with a new set of covers. The singer stopped by AOL Music's studios this summer to share a few cuts from her recent record The Soul Sessions, Volume 2, and she charmed everyone she met.

With a smile and a wink, Joss kicked off her raucous set with Broken Bells' hit "The High Road." Her version is filled with thick organ and a heavy dose of real soul that makes it so unique from the original. We sat down with the singer to talk about her latest record, the beginning of her career, working with Mick Jagger and how she almost went totally broke.




It's been about 10 years since you released your debut record. What made you want to come full-circle, back to the beginning of your career?

Basically, Steve Greenberg, the guy that signed me when I was 14, had the idea for the Soul Sessions. That's really his brainchild. I was just a kid that kind of could sing so he thought, "You can be part of this plan that I've got," and he pulled me in. Soul Sessions is all covers and it's from his collection of music. He's like a mad collector of all these obscure soul songs. I know it's silly but I just kind of do things if it sounds like fun. If it sounds like it's going to be a laugh, and I'm going to be able to make really great music with really great people, why wouldn't I do it? So, he called me. He asked. I said yeah. The end.

Tell us about the song selection. Was there anything you didn't want to sing?

Yes. There are songs that I did not want to sing, but those songs I just didn't do. This is the thing, it's very different now -- when I was younger there were songs where I didn't want to do them for whatever reason. Maybe the lyric was too old or Aretha Franklin sang one of the songs. I just would never cover Aretha Franklin. But at that age, it didn't matter what I didn't want to do. It was just like, "This is what you are doing." So, obviously now, it's completely different. I can actually just say "No," and actually do what I like.

While you recorded with super group Super Heavy. Were there any notable Mick Jagger hijinks?

You know, I haven't got any mad stories about Mick Jagger. He's like really sweet, really friendly, really helpful. He's quite jokey. He is very talented; clearly but I don't need to tell anybody that. He's very particular with his lyrics, which I think is quite a cool thing. He takes a lot longer on things. That's why he's Mick Jagger, because he has been brilliant for so long and he really creates his masterpiece. Whereas, I guess I'm really impatient and probably for him that could be quite annoying [laughs]. But he really is capable, so he will sit there and he'll create a masterpiece and I think that's quite special and quite inspiring, you know. He's a cool guy, cool chap. I like him.

You recently gave up much of your wealth to get out of a record contract. Going through that entire process, what have you, besides a lot of money, shed and what have you gained from that?

It's a massive thing that happened in my life. A lot of people would tell me I was completely mad and stupid really for walking away from any record deal. Not just a big record or a big label and a big company and all this -- but they didn't like me anyway. So why stay in a situation just because everybody else wants to be in it? I don't know why everybody else wants to be in it, but personally I'd like to just be who I am, and not be told that who I am is wrong. That's not fun for anyone.

Everybody has to remember when they enter into something like that, like a life-changing job, why you began, and what your want is. If your want is to be very, very rich and famous, if my want was that, I would have made a terrible mistake. But it wasn't. My want was to make music and be happy. Just to be a happy human being. That's it because -- a lot of people find this hard to grasp -- but you don't need lots of money to be happy. I just need a certain amount of money to make whatever record I want to make, and that is an expensive thing definitely. It's not a cheap thing, especially when you're using such great musicians and studios and flying around and stuff. So you just need enough to do what you want to do.

There's nothing in the rulebook that says every singer that is popular and that people like has to be a millionaire. It's unnecessary, and there isn't enough tea in China for me to carry on in a situation that's unhappy for me. I just want to make music and have a lovely time. I don't want any of that crap, so they can have it back. What I've gained is my life. And I'm happy, and I can make nice music when I want, with whom I want, how I want and then give it to the world.

Joss Stone Sessions Photos