Joss Stone on the Craig Ferguson Show

I hope "I've just seen the future of music." Generally speaking, I don't much care for the live bands featured on late night TV. Last night I saw Mastodon on Conan. Didn't care for them.

I guess I'm just too old to get that mega-power stuff. Probably like how my parents felt about Alice Cooper when I was a teen. They didn't get Alice either.

But once in awhile I see someone on one of the late shows that makes me think there's hope for me (and music) yet. On March 27th, 2007 I caught Joss Stone on The Craig Ferguson Show.

(By the way, I think his show is darn near the best of them all. What's your order of preference? Mine is Conan O'Brien - Craig - David Letterman - Jay Leno...and Carson Daly is not even on the chart...what does he do well anyway?)

Joss Stone is the REAL DEAL. She's still a kid and already singing and performing with the maturity of the iconic Tina Turner or someone of that stature. Do yourself a favor and get her new record, Introducing Joss Stone. An odd title for a gal that's already sold over 7 million records, but I think aptly named because she's worthy of a new and BIG introduction.

Joss has it all...the sound, the songs, the look, the style...the substance of every GREAT musical artist ever. Her music is going to be around a LONG LONG TIME. And in this world of fabricated acts and one-off gimmicks, what a find! When I think of Joss Stone, I think of Tiger Woods. She's that much better at what she does than anyone else out there in her age group.

On Craig Ferguson, Joss said that she doesn't really listen to the music being created now. She's listening to the legends. She's learning from the legends. And unless her life is prematurely shortened, God forbid, she will be a legend. Hallelujah!

"Joss Stone has sold more than 7.5 million albums worldwide; been nominated for four Grammy Awards; appeared onstage with James Brown, The Rolling Stones, Stevie Wonder, Elton John, Patti Labelle, Mavis Staples, Donna Summer, and Smokey Robinson; sat for an interview with Oprah Winfrey; starred in two major ad campaigns for the Gap; and performed for more than 200,000 people at the 2005 Live 8 Concert in London - all before reaching the ripe old age of 19. And yet, only now, on her third album, Introducing Joss Stone, does the British soul singer and songwriter feel she is expressing her true musical vision. 'This is the first album I've made that is truly me,' she says. 'That's why I'm calling it Introducing Joss Stone. These are my words, and this is who I am as an artist.'

"Knowing she needed to write the album alone, Stone decamped to the Caribbean island of Barbados in April to come up with lyrics. There, amid the sandy beaches and warm tropical breezes, she had an epiphany. 'I'm driving along in my car and I'm thinking, "Why am I going through life looking for unconditional love from a human being, when it's music that's unconditional?" she says. "It's always there for me. It's the love of my life. I've found it."' —JossStone.com