I'll just go ahead and say it: Adele is making it hard out here for husky-voiced singers, non-brown or otherwise. After subconsciously avoiding all things Adele, I happened across SoulUK's praising mentions on these pages, it was hard to ignore her power. Each day I browse through my favorite music sites for sonic goodness, I realize how international the concept of "soul" is. As I mentioned in response to Colombian rapper Ana Tijoux, soul is soul and dope is universal. "Soul" is not entirely an (African) American concept, though its roots are may be markedly so. This takes me to my latest musical infatuation, singer Johanna Försti of Finland. A relative newcomer as far as most listeners are concerned, the jazz singer linked with Ricky-Tick Records drummer and producer Teppo "Teddy Rok" Mäkynen in Jo Stance, a roaring vintage project with a debut album by the same name. The disc initially dropped last fall, but the official import was released weeks ago. Though the album is filled with gems, the debut single, "Hey Girl!," was the smartest choice to lead the project. A word I see used often to describe their offering is "raw," and that's the perfect description. The production is solid, and the lady's voice shines over the unpolished grooves without studio tricks and pointless collaborations or features. The vocal production is simple: hardly any backing vocals with decidedly big, straight-forward singing. A little bit Motown with a sprinkle of '60s mod for good measure. The set, a soaring tribute to sounds of yesteryear, is a more than
fitting debut for an immensely talented vocalist. Like Adele, Jo proves
that white women can, in fact, emote without being under the influence
of nose candy and booze. Another standout is the closer, "Shout," a wailing stomp-and-clap head nodder. Fire.
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