Mind Body and Soul

Critical reception

Mind Body & Soul received generally positive reviews from music critics.At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 64, based on 11 reviews. Stephen Thomas Erlewine from AllMusic noted that, compared to The Soul Sessions, "[c]ertain songs are a little brighter and a little more radio-ready than before, there's a more pronounced hip-hop vibe to some beats, and she sounds a little more like a diva this time around—not enough to alienate older fans, but enough to win some new ones. The album has a seductive, sultry feel; there's some genuine grit to the rhythms, yet it's all wrapped up in a production that's smooth as silk." John Murphy from musicOMH raved that "[t]his is a terrific album, and on this basis Joss Stone is going to be a household name for years and years to come." Darryl Sterdan wrote for Canadian website Jam! that "even if her contributions were limited to lyrics and melodies, she still comes through with flying colours, displaying a knack for sharp hooks and catchy choruses." Dan Gennoe from Yahoo! Music UK commented that songs like "Right to Be Wrong", "Jet Lag" and "Killing Time" "confirm that not only can she deliver pain and passion like a lover three times her age, she can write it like one too." He continued: "There's not a bad song here, but there are some that never make it out of the rootsy background."

Billboard critic Michael Paoletta stated that Stone "continues to reinvent soul music, injecting a very classic sound with contemporary sass and verve", while noting that "[t]hroughout, that voice reigns supreme." The Guardian's Caroline Sullivan believed that "this record is best seen as a stepping stone by which she shouldn't be judged too exactingly." She also praised Stone's "ripening" voice, saying it is "foxier" than on The Soul Sessions. In a review for Blender magazine, Robert Christgau opined that "this album's compromise with the teen-pop divahood she was groomed for will feel like a bid for authenticity. Stone's infatuation with band grooves provides relief from the radio-ready synthesizers and compressors." Dimitri Ehrlich of Vibe called the album "deeply refreshing", adding that "[t]here's nothing new here [...] but if your ears are inured to the dense, overly polished production of contemporary R&B, Stone's simplicity and rawness will come as a revelation." Laura Sinagra of Rolling Stone wrote, "As on her last album, tasteful retro organs and wah-wah dominate this batch of originals" and named "Spoiled" one of the album's "strongest moments", but felt that songs like "Don't Cha Wanna Ride" and "You Had Me" are "more Destiny's Child than yesterday's blues". David Browne of Entertainment Weekly stated, however, that "[s]ave for a mild foray into reggae and a stab at power balladry, the tracks are monotonously midtempo, supper-club soul."

Accolades

At the 2005 Brit Awards, Stone won the awards for British Female Solo Artist and British Urban Act, and was nominated for British Breakthrough Act, becoming the youngest recipient of a Brit Award at age 17. That same year, Stone received three nominations at the 47th Annual Grammy Awards, including Best New Artist, Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for "You Had Me" and Best Pop Vocal Album for Mind Body & Soul. The album earned Stone a nomination for International Newcomer of the Year at Germany's Echo Awards in 2005.

Commercial performance

Mind Body & Soul entered the UK Albums Chart at number one with first-week sales of 75,000 copies, making Stone the youngest female singer to top the chart, a record previously held by Avril Lavigne. It also became the first number-one album for Relentless Records. The album spent one week atop the UK Albums Chart, and was certified was certified triple platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) on 9 September 2005. As of July 2012, Mind Body & Soul had sold 940,617 copies in the United Kingdom. The album debuted at number 11 on the Billboard 200 in the United States, selling 73,487 copies in its first week. It was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on 9 September 2005, and had sold 1.3 million copies in the US by July 2011.

Mind Body & Soul was successful in most European countries, peaking at number three on the European Top 100 Albums chart, while reaching the top five in Austria, Belgium, the Netherlands and Portugal, and the top 10 in France, Germany, Ireland, Norway and Switzerland. The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) certified the album platinum, denoting sales in excess of one million copies across Europe. In Oceania, the album reached five in New Zealand and number seven in Australia, and was certified gold by both the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) and the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ).

Track listing

Notes

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Mind Body & Soul.