The Chronicles of the Underrated: Angie Stone

Stone Love, 2004

Third album Stone Love was another fine effort from Stone, marked with the upmost consistency and a Grammy-nominated hit (“U-Haul”). Despite debuting at #14 – better than her two previous albums – Stone Love would become the first solo album by Stone to miss RIAA certification. This is unfortunate as Stone Love actually is as stacked as any Angie Stone effort, with guest including Snoop Dogg (“I Wanna Thank Ya”), Anthony Hamilton (“Stay For A While”), and then notable Floetry (“My Man”). Stone Love received a score of 68.

The Art of Love & War, 2007

The trend of non-certification and under appreciation would ensue with 2007 effort The Art of Love & War, which was issued on the revival of Stax and would give Stone her highest peak on the Billboard 200 to date, #11. Like Stone Love, Stone earned another Grammy nomination, this time for Betty Wright duet “Baby.”   Still, after all was said and done, underrated described Stone’s condition, though clearly unfair. The Art of Love & War

Unexpected, 2009, and Beyond

Stone’s first quartet of album’s marks her most far-reaching impact, with the weight placed on the first two. After The Art of Love & War, things haven’t been nearly as hot for Stone, despite little if any loss in the musicianship department. Unexpected (2009) shows Stone’s attempt at youthfulness, picturing her on the cover in a fierce dress riding a motorcycle. While the ill-used autotune of “Tell Me” marks a departure for Stone, most of the album itself is standard fare.

“I Ain’t Hearin’ U” for example didn’t break new ground; it just reminded us how consistent Stone is. “I Found A Keeper,” sampling Bobby Womack’s beloved classic “That’s The Way I Feel About You,” similarly is a reminder of Stone’s throwback soul leanings. Unexpected, by no means inferior, only mustered up a tepid #133 debut on the Billboard 200. Basically, 133^rd greatly lowers the ceiling for any album or artist. Unexpected did receive a respectable score of 67 via Metacritic.

Rich Girl, Stone’s 2012 album still couldn’t get back into the top half of the Billboard 200, settling for #109. In regards to the cover art, Stone didn’t force things this round, which was a better look. Like any other album, she also didn’t switch things up, except avoidance of autotune (still trying to forgive Angie for that one!). There were no monumental moments that hadn’t been better executed previously, but songs like “Do What U Gotta Do,” “Backup Plan,” slow jam “Guilty,” and title track “Rich Girl” were all welcome additions to a rich catalogue.