Happy 20th Anniversary to Angie Stone’s second studio album Mahogany Soul, originally released October 16, 2001.
Born on December 18th, 1961, Angie Stone has been in the music industry since 1979, first embarking upon her recording career with the funk-hip-hop trio Sequence. Ten years later, she led the groundbreaking Vertical Hold, joined Lenny Kravitz’s touring band as a saxophonist, and wrote songs for Prince’s protegee Jill Jones. By 1999 the singer, already known for her previous collaborations, decided to pursue a soloist career, which was marked by her debut platinum-selling album Black Diamond, a smooth, velvety R&B record, reminiscent of Motown’s imprinting melodies. It’s a blend of R&B, soul, and funk, and all of the album’s tracks are meticulously sequenced. Angie Stone’s virtuosic and pitch-perfect vocals combine perfectly with her genuine delivery.
The album opens with the quasi-acapella “Freedom.” The smooth “No More Rain (in This Cloud)” glides over a luscious string arrangement and sweet melodies. The funk-fueled “Green Grass Vapors” and “Love Junkie” are the groovy highlights of Black Diamond, with phrasing in the vein of queen of Funk, Chaka Khan. On Black Diamond, the singer and musician mastered the art of giving a new life and personal reinterpretations to songs. It is indeed the case with "Visions," which contains a sample of jazz pianist Ramsey Lewis’ “Sun Goddess.” “Heaven Help” is yet another rendition of Lenny Kravitz’s song originally featured on his 1993 album Are You Gonna Go My Way.
With her sophomore album, Mahogany Soul, Angie Stone dives deep into a more mature neo-soul sound, finding new confidence in her skills. The singer teamed up with producer Raphael Saadiq, Musiq Soulchild, Alicia Keys, Ali Shaheed Muhammad (of A Tribe Called Quest fame) and Calvin to craft Mahogany Soul. As a result, her second solo outing is an organic, polished, sophisticated work, that came to define the maturing neo-soul movement of the early 2000s.
The opening track, “Soul Insurance,” sets the tone, addressing the issue of other artists appropriating Stone’s ideas. According to the singer, “Soul Insurance” is dedicated to her peers who try to do what she defines as “commercial soul.”
The loose, mellow guitar licks and hypnotizing beat of “Brotha” accompany the artist’s grateful ode to the community of African American men, referencing her father and mentioning her son, considering them as her support system.
In contrast to the appreciative energy of “Brotha,” the following song “Pissed Off” portrays the experience of women stuck in toxic relationships with unreliable men. The piece deals as well with the plague of domestic psychological and physical abuse. “So pissed off / Looking at life through the glass that you shattered / Little shit like love don’t matter anymore,” Stone sings, later adding, “For reacting, you got me packing, trying to get out, before you get back in.”
“More Than a Woman” mellows down the tension of “Pissed Off.” The alluring duet with artist Calvin Richardson layers in lavish vocals and passionate exchanges between the singers.
The lighter-than-air “Snowflakes,” is built on a sample of Motown veterans The Supremes and the Four Tops 1971 duet “Let’s Make Love Now.” The track is infused with stunning, breezy ‘60s soul melodies.
Incorporating a sample of The O’Jays’ classic 1972 hit “Back Stabbers,” “I Wish I Didn’t Miss You” is a Latin-tinged ballad, portraying the ache of a breakup and the melancholia of the memories of past good times. “Memories don’t live like people do,” Stone sings. “You said forever for me and you / Wish you’d bring back the man I knew was good to me.”
“Easier Said Than Done” is perhaps one of my favorite moments on the album. As a fan of Luther Vandross, I couldn’t help but observe a slight resemblance to his song “Take You Out,” particularly in the lush vocals and silvery melodies. After some research, I found out that Stone’s “Easier Said Than Donte” was produced by Warryn “Baby Dubb” Campbell, who also collaborated on Vandross’ Take You Out (2001).
“Bottles & Cans” is an open plea to the artist’s lover, exemplified by lines like, “I'd rather be pickin' up bottles and cans / Pickin' up cans baby, / I'd rather be homeless in the streets with no food to eat / I'd rather be facing twenty to life / Now I know that it seems like I'm crazy for you / That's what love can do.” However, the country-ish string arrangement appears rather weak compared to the other tracks on the album, which are mainly based on soul, funk, R&B tunes, and prominent beats.
The next piece, “The Ingredients of Love,” a collaboration with Musiq Soulchild, comes to life through a sleek, masterful beat sample of “Red Clay” (1970), courtesy of master jazz musician Freddie Hubbard.
With the rap phrasing over funk bass of “What You Dyin’ For?”, Stone admonishes an unnamed man about the urgency of setting free from his past toxic relationship.
The next song, the interlude “Makings of You,” offers the listener some of the most gorgeous and skillful layered vocals on the album, proof of the artist’s confidence in her vocal techniques.
“Mad Issues” segues on the same smooth colors of the interlude. On the track, Stone yet again articulates the reason why their relationship is disintegrating, explaining, “’Cause you got mad issues / And you tend to misuse / Every opportunity to right your wrong / You're causin' more problems / With no way to solve them / The time has come to leave well enough alone.” Although the lyrics are straightforward, there is not a single trace of anger or spite in Stone’s vocal delivery. Rather, the singer chose to assert her message with love and gentleness, stemming from the acceptance of her soon-to-be-ex partner’s never-changing toxic behavior.
On “If It Wasn’t” and its steamy, funky beat, Stone exposes her man’s venomous family members with witty sarcasm (“If it wasn't for yo' momma / Never thinkin' I was good enough / If it wasn't for yo' brotha / Always checkin' every move I gave up / If it wasn't for that bitch / Down the block always in yo' ear / Be no room for messin' up / But baby love, you'd be right here”).
With a sample lifted from Al Green’s “Simply Beautiful” (1972), “20 Dollars” draws from the gospel tradition, over an R&B beat, as it presents gorgeous call-and-response chants. The lyrics deal explicitly with the burden of people borrowing money and never returning it.
“Life Goes On” works as a soul pacifier, offering comfort after the upheaval of “What You Dyin’ For,” “Mad Issues,” and “If It Wasn’t.”
The outro “Heat” is short yet forthright: “if you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.” The lyrics, serving as a metaphor, are asserted unapologetically: if you can’t bear the artist’s truth, do not bother listening to her album.
Featuring contributions from Alicia Keys and Eve coupled with a sample of Albert King's “I'll Play the Blues for You,” “Brotha Part II” is a remix of the lead single “Brotha,” the guest artists' powerful voices and fresh approach giving the song grit and dynamism.
With the full-blown gospel tune of “Time of the Month,” Stone concludes Mahogany Soul. The slow jam perfectly counterbalances the anger and pain of the vocal delivery and lyrics, as she warns her partner not to mess with her.
Mahogany Soul stands out for its impeccable storytelling, the at-times humorous lyrics, pitch-perfect vocals, and ingenious samples. The album affirmed Angie Stone as an accomplished artist whose understanding of real soul music turned her into one of the leaders of the movement.
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