Joss Stone hits the road for North American tour

By Patrick Luce Mar 8, 2007, 16:21 GMT

"It\'s the first album that is truly me," the 19-year-old Stone says. "These are my words, and this is who I am as an artist."

British soul singer and songwriter Joss Stone will hit the road in April for a North American tour supporting her new album ‘Introducing Joss Stone’ - which will be released by Virgin Records on March 20th. The tour, which begins April 27th in Connecticut, will make special stops at the Jazz & Heritage Festival in New Orleans and the annual Summerstage concert series in New York City's Central Park, before concluding in Virginia on June 13th.

For her first proper tour in nearly three years, the Grammy-winning star will be showcasing tracks from ‘Introducing Joss Stone’ - an electrifying mix of warm vintage soul, '70s-style R&B, Motown girl-group harmonies, and hip-hop grooves produced largely by Stone's main musical collaborator, Raphael Saadiq (The Roots, Macy Gray). With lyrics written or co-written by Stone herself, the album also features contributions from Fugees singer Lauryn Hill and rapper Common.

"It's the first album that is truly me," the 19-year-old Stone says. "These are my words, and this is who I am as an artist."

The album's first single, "Tell Me 'Bout It," was released in February and is currently available for purchase on iTunes and all other online retailers. The track has been steadily climbing both the AAA and Hot AC charts since it first impacted radio, and the video is in Gung Ho rotation on VH1, in the Big 10 on MTV, and a mainstay on VH1 Soul, mtvU, MTV Hits, The IMF, The N, and Music Choice. It will premiere on MTV's TRL on March 12th.

Stone will be making several national television appearances around the release of the album, including a performance on NBC's The Today Show on March 20th. Fans can also catch her online performing live on AOL Sessions and Yahoo! Live Sets. Upcoming live sessions are also scheduled to air on iTunes Sessions, MTV.com, and VH1.com.

To top it off, Stone is the first artist to be featured on VH1's new series VH1 Album Autopsy, which will give viewers an in-depth look at the making and launch of ‘Introducing Joss Stone.’

To check out the video for "Tell Me 'Bout It," listen to streaming audio, and watch Stone's new video blog, please visit: http://wwww.jossstone.com or visit her MySpace page at http://www.myspace.com/jossstone.

‘Introducing Joss Stone’ is now available for pre-order at Amazon. Visit the music database for more information and a complete track listing. Joss Stone Tickets are now available at M&C’s Ticket Database.

Joss Stone's upcoming confirmed tour dates are as follows:
04/27 - Mashantucket, CT - Fosxwoods Resort & Casino
04/30 - Philadelphia, PA - Electric Factory
05/06 - New Orleans, LA - Jazz & Heritage Festival
05/09 - Dallas, TX - House of Blues
05/12 - Alpine, CA - Viejas Concerts in the Park
05/15 - San Francisco, CA - Warfield Theatre
05/18 - Portland, OR - McMenamins Crystal Ballroom
05/21 - Vancouver, BC - Commodore Ballroom
05/24 - Seattle, WA - Paramount Theatre
05/27 - Denver, CO - Fillmore Auditorium
05/30 - Chicago, IL - House of Blues
06/02 - Toronto, ON - Kool Haus
06/05 - Montreal, QC - Metropolis
06/08 - New York, NY - Central Park Summerstage
06/11 - Boston, MA - Avalon Ballroom
06/13 - Vienna, VA - The Filene Center