Angie Stone | Unexpected

Angie Stone | Unexpected
by Peggy Oliver

Remember the artist Angie B? That was the moniker for Angie Stone during her days as part of the Sugar Hill Records trio The Sequence, who along with Ladies Fresh opened the female rap game for the Salt ‘n Peppa’s and Queen Latifah’s of the world. But from the ‘who would have known’ department; who could have imagined the rapper Angie B transforming into a sophisticated songstress named Stone breathing new life into hip-hop a decade later? With a near three-decade career under her belt, Angela Laverne Brown is now a quintuple threat. Besides her rapping skills, she is a successful vocalist, songwriter, producer and musician in her own right who collaborated with various artists and brought neo-soul music to the forefront.

After Stone’s tenure with The Sequence, she moved on to several background vocal gigs including Lenny Kravitz. She eventually returned to the lead microphone with another trio Vertical Hold that produced their biggest hit in 1993 – “Seems You’re Much Too Busy” – reminiscent of the smooth dance grooves from Soul II Soul. Many of R&B’s elite like Mary J. Blige also utilized Stone’s services as a songwriter. Besides Kravitz, one of neo-soul’s future stars D’Angelo who played keyboards on Vertical Holds’ Head First was a key figure in Stone’s development toward a solo career. But in the long run, it was her personal arsenal of dynamic vocals, poignant songwriting and her natural abilities to effectively balance the old soul with snippets of hip-hop that earned her the title ‘the new soul queen.” Those assets clearly positioned Stone as an urban music staple whose four solo discs charted on the Billboard R&B Top Ten. Besides her solo resume, Stone demonstrated her musicality by partnering with artists ranging from DJ/producers Groove Armada (“Feel The Same” from 2007) to U.K. pop band Blue (on the Stevie Wonder gem “Signed Sealed & Delivered”).

When Stone established her solo star in 1999 with Black Diamond (co-produced by Kravitz & D’Angelo), she was praised for her honesty regarding the ins and outs of love relationships and her faith that carried her through. “No More Rain (In This Cloud)” was a masterful crafting of gospel overtones with the hook from Gladys Knight & The Pips classic “Neither One of Us.” The follow-up from 2001, Mahogany Soul, included the emotionally charged lyrics and performance of “Wish I Didn’t Miss You.” On her biggest international hit to date, Stone once again reached into the soul vaults with the Philly classic – “Backstabbers” by The O’Jays. The third release, Stone Love (2004), highlighted “Stay For Awhile,” an invigorating duet with fellow neo-soul stylist Anthony Hamilton. After the aforementioned projects from record mogul Clive Davis’ Arista &J Records, Stone signed with the resurrected Stax label in 2007. On her label debut, The Art of Love & War, the emphasis shifted from the neo-soul towards the older soul music sensibility. “Baby” marked a rare and welcome appearance with Stone’s duet partner – ‘The Cleanup Woman’ Betty Wright, an inspiration to future hip-hoppers.

Now with Unexpected, Stone somewhat flip-flops the musical script by embracing some of the techno-edged R&B that is more expected from Keri Hilson and Rihannon. To a certain degree, I can understand her desiring a change of pace because of the inspiration she drew from her recently deceased father to take chances no matter what people thought. On the other hand, I was partially taken aback by the ‘new’ Stone. Despite those mixed feelings about Unexpected, there are redeeming moments including Stone’s dependable jolting lyrics about love, faith and relationships. Stone starts off on the right foot with the title track anchored by the strains of Sly’s (& The Family Stone) “Family Affair.” The first single, “I Ain’t Hearin’ U,” is a winning combination of laid back funk and the message of not being caught up in gossip. The neo-soul feeling is not completely abandoned as evidenced on “I Don’t Care,” where Stone declares: “I know I’m heaven-sent.” In the same vein, “Maybe” has the best storyline where the questions keep on coming regarding the trust level in a long-standing romance. Finally, “Think Sometimes” that emits a sweet seventies soul vibe(think Honey Cone and The Emotions) stirs memories of loved ones.

Where Unexpected completely gets off kilter are “Tell Me” and “Free” which are two examples of overly produced R&B beats that overmatch Stone’s rich alto. Unfortunately, certain production choices and following the current trends are not always suitable for everyone,even for highly respected artists like Stone. Thus, Unexpected as a whole is not the best representation of Stone’s discography. Yet because of her impeccably timed vocals despite those circumstances, I moderately recommend this CD. And I can assure you, Stone has still come a mighty long way from her days as Angie B.

Peggy Oliver
The Urban Music Scene