October 17, 2007 @ 1:01 pm

MY ALBUM'S OUT: Angie Stone

Clay Cane

The gorgeous soul singer talks R&B, D'Angelo, and Celebrity Fit Club.

The late '90s saw a resurgence of the R&B singer/songwriter, when urban radio was graced with artists like Maxwell, Erkyah Badu, D’Angelo - and Angie Stone, who in 1999 debuted with her now-classic album Black Diamond.  Over the course of a near-decade, she would garner a huge following with soul anthems like "No More Rain (In This Cloud)", “Brotha” and “Wish I Didn’t Miss You.”  

Having survived the now debunked “neo-soul” movement, Stone returns on the legendary Stax Records, with her fourth studio album The Art of Love & War, a testimony of survival, relationships and redemption. Stone spoke with VIBE about her heavily criticized appearance on VH1’s Celebrity Fit Club, the status of missing-in-action crooner D’Angelo (her baby’s daddy!), and much more.


R&B has changed so much since your first album in 1999.   What's your take on current R&B?
I just think R&B is rhythm and blues, there's no way to really change it.  What we call it and how it's being perceived, but the one thing that is consistent is truth, a release of truth.  When you talk about real life and everyday subjects to the masses of people... that's R&B to me. 

You're an artist who sings all of your songs live.  What's your reaction to R&B singers who lip synch and still sell millions of records?
I can't really have an opinion about them because they do what they do and the industry accepts that.  If people want to see you stand up there and perform your record to your track then they are buying into you and not into your music. 

You have a religious fan base. Are there any conflicts with that diversity within your fan base?
I would imagine that some people got a problem with it.  I did a radio interview and somebody asked a stupid question if you have sex on your period.  I said, "No, I don't."  Why?  Well, first of all because of my religious beliefs it's unclean and comes from a woman's body.  Your body is rejecting all of the toxins, not for anything else; it's a very private time in a woman's life.  If you want to share that with a man you love that is your choice.  I had a rebuttal from that, someone called in and said, "I don't think Angie Stone is a Christian as she says she is."  I said, well first of all, I'm not perfect, no one is - so I'm not going to sit here and say I walk a tightrope on being a Christian, but I try to practice and what I do is my decision.  What I choose not to do is my decision as well.  I couldn't really get off into that because it was almost as if they were angry that my defense mechanism is what I truly believe in.  I do believe that there's people out there that may have a problem with me loving the Lord, loving the gift that He gave me and using it to my discretion.  I do what I do because it makes me happy.  At the end of the day I still have to answer to God.  So no man is in a position to judge my actions. 

Do you think what D'Angelo is experiencing right now is a residual of fame?
What is happening to him unfortunately has everything to with the leadership he had, the people in his camp and the people that got in his mind.  What was going on before fame came along - real grounded, genuine brother who had nothing but love for great music and real people.  When he was trying to stay grounded, be normal, somebody tapped him on his shoulder and said, "You're not Michael anymore, you have to be D'Angelo."  Being D'Angelo meant crucifying Michael.  To crucify who you are is to kill your integrity.  What I think has happened is somewhere along the line he forgot who Michael was.  Now, trying to go back to being that person is difficult because the media, press, fans and everybody expects so much.  It's put an abundance of pressure on him that says, "How do I do this?  I'm so lost right now.  How do I get back to me?"

Do you think he can make a comeback?
Absolutely - I know his work.  I know the core of his spirit, I know his intentions.  Do I think that he can make a comeback?  I think that anything he does musically is exceptional because that's something he can't help, it's in his blood.  Now, the road to get there is the problem.  I think that so much influence has been placed that there is untrust.  He doesn't really trust a lot of people anymore, he's afraid of his own gift.

When you look back on Celebrity Fit Club is there anything you regret?
I regret the fact that when I did Celebrity Fit Club they told me, look, we want you to come, everybody loves you.  Then, I find out how much of the stuff they edited, like you never got to see all of the wins I made.  That cast was so together, we were so friendly - they had to create a demon.  I still had to try to maintain my integrity, but a part of me said, you know what, at the end of the day I’m a real person.  What I did was I lost my cool when I found out they were cheating.  That's the part I couldn’t say on TV.  When I was fighting, it wasn’t literally fighting the question, or the comments; I was fighting the behind the scenes stuff that nobody else knew.  On that point, yes, I do regret it because some of the emails that I’ve gotten from people who call me fat, who call me ugly, who call me disgusting - it let me know that I got some real, real haters out there.  It broke my heart to know that people were so caught up in the demise of a woman as opposed to being supportive of someone who was real.  At the end of the day, I regret that part of it, but overall I don't - I lost the weight and I feel fabulous right now!

The Art of Love & War is in stores now.

Article tags: Angie Stone, D'Angelo 

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