Angie Stone
和Urban/Contemporary R&B天后Alicia Keys齐名，同属米国大厂“J Records”的创作长才Angie Stone，在八○年代便以三女饶舌团体Sequence浮出水面，九○时在她前属Acid-Jazz组合Vertical Hold中早有杰出表现，由Angie Stone担任主唱的此团1993年以《A Matter Of Time》单曲“Seems You''re Much Too Busy”立跃A&M单曲榜，然而Angie Stone最大的成就莫过于1999年个人首张专辑《Black Diamond》，该辑除了动用摇滚先知Lenny Kravitz担任总监外，还有她前男友D''Angelo的热情制作，《Black Diamond》亦获米国《Source》、《Vibe》、《The New York Times》以及《Rolling Stone》等平面刊物一致好评且在R&B/Urban AC榜上持续长达十周的冠军头衔；不只这样，Angie Stone也相继与Mary J. Blige、Craig David、Macy Gray和Jill Jones等人结盟不断。by Ed HoganA singer, a self-taught keyboardist, and a prolific songwriter, Angie Stone''s first claim to fame was being the lead vocalist on Vertical Hold''s smooth urban dance track "Seems You''re Much Too Busy." An R&B Top 40 hit during the summer of 1993, it eventually led to a solo career, and her debut album Black Diamond was issued in 1999 by Arista. In six years, Stone had definitely gained an old-school, autobiographical vibe, exemplified by her hit ballad "No More Rain (In This Cloud)," which has samples from Gladys Knight and the Pips'' "Neither One of Us (Wants to Be the First to Say Goodbye)." Contributors included Lenny Kravitz and former Tribe Called Quest member Ali Shaheed Muhammad as producers, and Stone''s ex-boyfriend D''Angelo as a vocal guest on "Everyday."Stone, a native of Columbia, SC, began singing gospel music at a young age at First Nazareth Baptist Church. Her father, a member of a local gospel quartet, would take his only child to see performances by gospel artists such as the Singing Angels and the Gospel Keynotes. During her youth, she wrote poetry, played sports, and, after high-school graduation, was offered college basketball scholarships. While working dead-end jobs, Stone began saving money to record her own demos at a local studio called PAW. She joined Gwendolyn Chisolm and Cheryl Cook in the rap trio the Sequence, who recorded hits for Joe and Sylvia Robinson''s Sugarhill label -- "Funk You Up," a remake of Parliament''s hit "Tear the Roof Off the Sucker" called "Funky Sound (Tear the Roof Off)," and "I Don''t Need Your Love (Part One)." Soon after, Stone was working with futuristic rappers Mantronix and rocker Lenny Kravitz and formed the neo-soul trio Vertical Hold, who first charted with the Criminal single "Summertime." Besides "Seems You''re Much Too Busy," the group''s self-titled A&M album spawned another charting single, "ASAP." She moved to J-Records in 2001 for her second record, Mahogany Soul, and the record cracked the Top 40 thanks to the pop/R&B hit "Brotha." Three years later, her third record Stone Love became her biggest hit, with a number 14 placing. The Art of Love & War, released in 2007, was her first number one album on the R&B/Hip Hop chart.
