The Soul Sessions

1	The Chokin' Kind 3:36
2	Super Duper Love (Are You Diggin on Me?), Pt. 1 4:20
3	Fell in Love With a Boy 3:38
4	Victim of a Foolish Heart 5:31
5	Dirty Man 2:59
6	Some Kind of Wonderful 3:56
7	I've Fallen in Love With You 4:29
8	I Had a Dream 3:01
9	All the King's Horses 3:03
10	For the Love of You, Pts. 1-2 7:33

Barnes & Noble

Appearances can be deceiving. And in the case of 16-year-old British singer Joss Stone, that's certainly true. Her beach-blonde looks might suggest Britney, but on her impressive debut, Stone belts with passionate, soulful pipes more akin to American Idol winner Kelly Clarkson. Perhaps that's because this fellow talent show discovery was, like Clarkson, influenced by classic soul legends such as Aretha Franklin. Playing up the old-school R&B flavor in her music, Stone was whisked to the States to record with Betty Wright (best known for her 1972 hit "The Clean Up Woman"), resulting in The Soul Sessions. Wright, in the producer's chair, recruited key musicians to rekindle the fire of '70s Miami soul, including guitarist Willie "Little Beaver" Hale and keyboardist Timmy Thomas. The upshot is a yearning collection of revamped covers -- some familiar, such as the Isley Brothers' "For the Love of You" and Franklin's "All the King's Horses," and some more obscure, such as Joe Simon's "The Chokin' Kind" and Laura Lee's "Dirty Man." The cover most likely to resonate with Stone's peers, however, is a stripped-down, funked-up version of the White Stripes' "Fell in Love with a Girl," featuring backing vocals by neo-soul star Angie Stone and instrumental accompaniment by the Roots. It's a remarkable setting for Joss Stone's smoky pipes, and the entirety of the quickly recorded The Soul Sessions kicks this young singer's career off to a momentous start. Tracy E. Hopkins

Rolling Stone

Backed by an array of R&B veterans -- Latimore, Betty Wright, Timmy Thomas -- Stone shines on this impressive covers set. Jon Caramanica

Time Out New York

The album combines classic soul nuggets with some curveballs, like a measured reading of the White Stripes' "Fell in Love with a Girl," performed over a dirty, dragging funk provided by the Roots. Jay Ruttenberg