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• About "The Art of Love & War"
• Ms. Stone on Stax Records
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Singer-songwriter created her song "Brotha" because she was tired of negative songs. (4:05)
 

Tavis: I'm pleased to welcome Angie Stone to this program. The talented singer-songwriter is out with her fifth solo project this fall. The CD is called "The Art of Love and War," and was recorded here in Los Angeles in the studio made famous by the late, great Marvin Gaye. Talk about inspiration. The disc is available from the legendary label Stax Records, which has recently been reactivated. From the new disc, here is some of the video for "Baby."

[Clip]

Tavis: There's a lot going on in this conversation. So Angie Stone is back, Stax is back, it's all good. Marvin Gaye's studio.

Angie Stone: Yeah.

Tavis: That's a lot happening on one project. That's a whole lot. First of all, tell me about the Stax thing.

Stone: Well, when I was approached by Stax, I was blown away because so many legendary artists had been on the show. I mean on the -

Tavis: On the label, yeah.

Stone: - label. And I had a couple other offers on the table, but I felt like I would be a priority there, and I felt like it was the perfect marriage for my music and my style. I thought that they would better understand and give me a greater shot to do at least a better assessment to the audience in terms of worldwide. And the fact that Stax is legendary makes me special in the sense that they thought of me to be the launching artist.

Tavis: Yeah, they've had everybody and their mama of so many great artists. So many great artists on that label.

Stone: I know.

Tavis: I was just watching [unintelligible] Stax again the other night.

Stone: Really?

Tavis: Have you seen that before, that -

Stone: Oh, yeah, oh, yeah.

Tavis: It was an amazing one. Saw it again the other night. So you're recording this - so you got Stax back now, as I said a moment ago, recorded this in Marvin Gaye's studio?

Stone: In Marvin Gaye's studio.

Tavis: What was that like?

Stone: With all of the original Marvin Gaye equipment. I have to tell you, I was completely blown away. I've been trying to get in that studio for two years and I finally ran into John McLean (sp), who actually runs the establishment now, and he and Denzel were walking out of a hotel and I says, "I gotta get in that studio." He said, "Whenever you're ready." And the beauty of it -

Tavis: So you went right past Denzel?

Stone: Right past Denzel.

Tavis: Oh, something's wrong with this, now. (Laughter) You went right past D to talk to John McLean.

Stone: Yes.

Tavis: Okay.

Stone: Okay?

Tavis: I hope he's not watching tonight, but go ahead, yeah.

Stone: But the beauty of it is when I walked in the room, there's a portrait that's there, it's a montage of his life. And as I was working one day out of the blue, I'm standing over the couch and I saw my face on the picture. And I'm like, who is that? Because I saw Diana Ross, I saw Tammi Terrell, and I asked everybody, I said, "Is it me, or am I tripping? What's going on?" And as we looked, everybody was, like, "Oh my God." So I don't know who this woman is, but she's got an Afro and I promise you, it's my face. So it kind of was destiny, I think, for me to be in that studio and be a part of that legacy.

Tavis: You gotta find out who that is. They say we all have a look-alike somewhere.

Stone: It's me.

Tavis: It is you.

Stone: It's me.

Tavis: Oh, they just went and put you up there already?

Stone: I just think I'm there. I was supposed to be there. And the picture is magic, so I'm going to try to get a copy of it for my home, because it's amazing, and if it's not me, I'm saying it's me. (Laughter)

Tavis: Who - I assume that Marvin must be on the short list of people who you've listened to over the years whose music just -

Stone: Oh, my goodness. Marvin, to me, was the most conscious songwriter and singer around, along with Curtis Mayfield.

Tavis: Ooh, yeah.

Stone: They did not ponder at all when it came to speaking about social issues and standing up for what they truly believed in. And he was the kind of person that if he believed in something, he would go to the depths to make sure that it happened. And that is the spirit that I embody.

When I got in there the first day, I got in there, I got a call from Jan, his wife, and Nona, and they told me, they said, "Angie, if you do your album in this studio, you're going to have a successful album. It'll be a number one album, and we're just so happy to have you here. And Marvin would love it that you were working there." That meant so much to me.

Tavis: That'll make you sing, right there.

Stone: That'll make you sing. And Marvin was there the whole time. There's this row of lights that is under the singing room booth, and when I wasn't getting it right, there's one light on the tracking that would just go out. And I would start having a conversation with that spirit and I said, "You know what? I didn't like that either, Marvin."

So when it was tough, there's a beautiful picture of Marvin that sits in the back of the room, and when it got really intense I turned around and I said, "Okay, Marvin, I know you're in here, all your equipment's here." Everything, the spirit of Marvin is in the room. I'm going to get this right, because you're standing behind me. And I'd turn around and I'd get it right. Guess what? The light would come back on.

Tavis: Yeah, well, somebody remind me when I do my album not to go to that studio. (Laughter)

Stone: It's wonderful.

Tavis: Yeah, I'll do it in my house - my home studio or something. You talked a moment ago about - and I think you're right about that, Marvin, without question, one of the most socially conscious artists. His music today as relevant now as it was back in the day when he recorded it. I was in a car not long ago with three kids, and they watch every night, so let me just give them a shout out - Morgan Brown, Evan Brown, and Brandon Brown.

Three kids who are - whose parents I know very well, [unintelligible] and Ann - so Morgan, Evan, and Brandon, I was in the car with them not long ago and every morning on the way to school, you know what they listen to?

Stone: What?

Tavis: There's two girls, by the way - Evan - two girls and a boy. But they listen on the way to school every morning to this song - your song, "Black Brother."

Stone: Oh my goodness.

Tavis: And I was in the car with them the other day, and they know that song top to bottom, every lyric. And it was just - it moved me. I know these kids well, but it moved me because here are three Black kids, 13 and under, who know every line to that song, and they're speaking that positivity through those lyrics into their own lives.

Stone: That's right.

Tavis: But that song, "Black Brother," I just want to thank you for that. How did that project come to be?

Stone: Well, a very gifted writer by the name of Harold Lilly, myself, and Raphael Saadiq got together and I was so sick and tired of us dogging each other out, pretty much. The scrub song and the B songs and the H songs, and I just felt like someone has to stand for something or we're going to continue to fall for anything.

So I thought about it and I was kind of scared about it because I didn't think radio would embrace it, considering how they are structuring music today, but I started to remember the movement in the sixties and how James Brown said, "Say it loud, I'm Black and I'm proud," and I thought if I was going to impart anything positive into our people, then I had to stand for something and be willing to lose everything.

So I did the song with the co-writing with Harold Lilly and myself and Raphael, and before you knew it the song was the anthem and right after that, every - the Million Man March [unintelligible] and now the song is so relevant, and now for me it's even greater because I can actually speak to the men in the concert. When I was with Vertical Hold I did a song called "Seems You're Much Too Busy for Me, and I Can't Stand It."

So all the guys were mad at me, like, "Ms. Stone, you singing that song and my wife and my girlfriend and my - " And all the sisters was like, "You go, girl, that's right, you right." And so for a minute, all the guy were, like, "Oh, God, Angie Stone getting ready to beat up on us again." And it's not that.

Tavis: But then you flipped it on them.

Stone: I had to flip it on them, because (laughter) we're nothing without you. So I'm like, it's all good, I got you. So now they don't even remember that song. When I get ready to do - they are waiting in the audience, and it's the first time I've actually been able to control the men in the audience, because I give them an opportunity to stand up, show that power.

And if it's not too much going on, I'll allow some of the sharp ones - like yourself, dressed like this -

Tavis: Come on stage?

Stone: Oh, yeah.

Tavis: What?

Stone: They come on and they parade through, and they wives just have to get all out the way because they be rushing to the front, like, I gotta do this. And when they come up, I get them. I ain't going to put you on the spot, because if I put you on the spot, you might not air it, but I say, "Do you know - "

Tavis: The words.

Stone: The words?

Tavis: Oh, yeah.

Stone: Okay? And some of them go, they start ducking in the corner like oh, no, wait, wait. I'm uh-uh, I'm coming for ya'll that's ducking, because you want to come up here and revel in the greatness -

Tavis: So you can you put me on the spot anytime. Black brother, I love you, put no one above you. You don't want none of this.

Stone: Ooh. (Laughter)

Tavis: Come on, now. Who you -

Stone: Okay, see, you -

Tavis: Who you think you're talking to?

Stone: You - (laughter).

Tavis: Come on, Angie. (Laughter)

Stone: You see, I knew that already, that's why I didn't put you on the spot.

Tavis: It's a cold jam, I love you.

Stone: But you know what? That's great, because you should make sure that all the brothers know that song, if they don't know nothing else. Especially when they can - no [unintelligible] much too busy and mad issues, and all those, so that's an anthem, and I want every brother that I'm coming to to know that because I might put you on the spot.

Tavis: For all my White friends watching, they like, I gotta go find this song, "Black Brother." They done spent five minutes talking about this song, and I've never heard of it. It's a cold jam, though. Tell me about the new project, "The Art of Love and War."

Stone: Oh, my goodness. "The Art of Love and War" is - it's a new beginning for Angie Stone. The beauty of this project for me is that I was able to shed some skin. And when I say shed some skin, I actually took a leap of faith and walked out of J Records into a new label and a newfound spirit. And what I wanted to do was show everybody you can be at the top of your game, but if everybody on your team is not there with you, you flying solo.

So I figured if I was going to ever get the attention that I truly deserve, then I had to step out on faith. So I walked away from a major label and I went to an independent label because I really want to prove to people up and coming in the industry that you are in control of your destiny. And right now, I'm trying to put together a project with young students in college because I'm so sick of the bling-bling theory and people feeling like they gotta chase this dream because they want to wear all the fly Air Force Ones and all the fly jewelry and all that.

It's fake. All of it is not real. So I want them to get that out of their heads. And my dream is to go in and to mentor these people so that this'll be an example that you can do anything that you want to do if you put your mind to it. So in doing this album, not just because I feel great about the music, but I feel great about the movement and the promise to myself that I can't let myself down, my children down, or my fans down.

Tavis: The music on it, how'd you make decisions to what to put on here?

Stone: Well, the title is "The Art of Love and War," and let me explain what that means. You really have to love this music. I've been doing this since 1979 with the group The Sequence. And here we are now, right here, right now. But it has been a war for me, and it's been a war with weight, it's been a war with image, it's been a war with support.

But at the end of the day, I love the craft. So I moved into each song thinking about what the song went to me and what is it going to mean to the consumer. Because I try to speak on situations that are relevant to everyone's situation. And we've all been through something or another on that album.

Tavis: Let me ask you before I let you go here, do you think - I'm just turned on by - and you've always been this way - by your courage, by your honesty, about the battles you've had to go through just to get to this point. You think that we still live in a world where talent rules, where talent wins, where talent endures? And I ask that because the evidence suggests otherwise.

Stone: And you're absolutely right. I don't think we live in a world where talent rules anymore. I think that we have to take control of that, because what is happening is we're cashing in great opportunity for quick money. And people need to understand that fast money spends fast. And what happens in a society like this is the industry is in such a critical place because we have compromised the gift for the cash.

And do I think it's important? Yes, I think because we have Earth, Wind, and Fire, I think because we have Aretha Franklin, I think because we have Betty Wright, I think we have pioneers that are still great, that are still mentoring. A lot of people don't know that Betty works with Puffy, she worked with J Lo, she works with so many people just behind the scenes, and no one - Joss Stone - no one ever gives these people their proper credit, because as a people we tend to stifle ourselves.

We say, “Oh, this one is too old, that one is too - “ and no other race does that to their own. Nobody - Kenny Rogers and the Rolling Stones, they sell out every time they go because they're supportive of what they believe in, and at the end of the day it is about the gift.

Tavis: It is about her gift. She has it, and she's got to use it, and she's using it on the new CD, Angie Stone "The Art of Love and War." This girl can sing. My estimation, one of the greatest soul singers of her generation, if not the - . Angie Stone, I love you and I'm glad to have you here.

Stone: Thank you, I love you, too. I'm glad to be here.

Tavis: It was good to see you.