The British neo-soul singer Joss Stone released the music video for "The High Road," the first U.S. single and a stone-cold soul makeover of the Broken Bells' cult hit, taken from UK songstress' latest sixth disc "The Soul Sessions, Vol. 2," a sultry, sexy covers-only affair. The resulting album showcases a young woman at the height of her vocal powers. The 25-year-old Grammy award winner's return to the soul basics that made her first album such a breakout hit fits cozily into my headphones as she breathes new life into old songs.And as the name implies, "The Soul Sessions Vol. 2," follows in the footsteps of her 2003 debut album in that all the songs are cover versions of Soul classics, most of which were recorded in the 1960s and '70s. Or actually, make that most of the songs covered are Soul classics. One very notable exception is Stone' version of "The High Road," a song that was the first-ever single by electro-indie duo Broken Bells in 2009. The song juxtaposes an uplifting melodic chorus with a depressing lyric about not knowing if the dead can talk, or even not knowing if you're alive.
"The High Road" isn't that old but is something that Stone decided to put a soulful spin on with stellar results. And like all good remakes, Stone' version reshapes the original song into something that sounds fresh and new, but also has a familiar quality to it at the same time. This new smooth, spine-tingly tune replacing the original bluesy number's Danger Mouse-produced sheen with electric guitars, piano and her signature vocals, Stone unearths two Chi-Lites chestnuts and gives Broken Bells' "The High Road" a psychedelic-soul makeover. But her musical instincts are off, and she steamrolls nearly every song with her bombastic blues growl.
The psychedelic video features Stone taking a train ride to a very special station. She exits the subway and slap us with some melting Dali clocks and lead us through the enchanted forest on all sorts of magical adventures with all sorts of fantastical things surrounding her including an elephant that provides her next mode of transport. Stone then happens upon a hooded stranger who entices her into a game of chess, and how the game ends shouldn't really come as a surprise. Watch below to take "The High Road" with Stone into her dreamland of make believe.
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