''Stone Love'' is the third studio album by American singer

Angie Stone Angela Laverne Stone (née Brown; December 18, 1961 – March 1, 2025) was an American singer-songwriter, rapper, actress, and record producer. With a career spanning over four decades, she has been credited with revolutionizing the sound of Ol ...

, released on June 28, 2004, by

J Records J Records was an American record label owned and operated by Bertelsmann Music Group until it was transferred to Sony Music Entertainment when they acquired all of BMG's record labels in late 2008 at the end of their merger. It was distribut ...

. Originally conceived as a collaborative but introspective album which Stone planned to call ''Diary of a Soul Sister'' and was expected to feature female singers such as

Gladys Knight Gladys Maria Knight (born May 28, 1944) is an American singer and actress. Knight recorded hits through the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s with her family group Gladys Knight & the Pips, which included her brother Merald "Bubba" Knight and cousins Will ...

and

Chaka Khan Yvette Marie Stevens (born March 23, 1953), better known by her stage name Chaka Khan ( ), is an American singer. Known as the " Queen of Funk", her career has spanned more than five decades beginning in the early 1970s as the lead vocalist of ...

, the album features a wide range of collaborators, including

Warryn Campbell Warryn Stafford Campbell, Jr. (born August 21, 1975) is an American record producer. He has worked with a number of contemporary gospel, gospel, hip hop and Contemporary R&B, R&B artists. Campbell originally got his start as a session musician a ...

, Andreao Heard,

Jazze Pha Phalon Anton Alexander, known professionally as Jazze Pha ( ), is an American record producer, rapper, singer and songwriter. He founded the record label Sho'nuff Records in 1995, through which he signed R&B singer Ciara in 2003. He produced h ...

, and

Missy Elliott Melissa Arnette "Missy" Elliott (born July 1, 1971), also known as Misdemeanor, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. She began her musical career as a member of the Contemporary R&B, R&B girl group 4 All the Sistas Arou ...

. Duo

Floetry Floetry were an English contemporary R&B, R&B duo comprising Marsha Ambrosius ("the Songstress") and The Floacist, Natalie Stewart ("the Floacist"). The group recorded two studio albums, one live album, and sold over 1,500,000 records worldwid ...

, singers

Betty Wright Bessie Regina Norris (December 21, 1953 – May 10, 2020), better known by her stage name Betty Wright, was an American soul music, soul and Rhythm and blues, R&B singer, songwriter and background vocalist. Beginning her professional career ...

, Anthony Hamilton, and

Snoop Dogg Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. ( ; born October 20, 1971), better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg), is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Rooted in West Coast hip-hop, he is widely regarded as one of t ...

, as well as Stone's daughter Diamond and her former fiancée, rapper T.H.C., appear on ''Stone Love''. The album earned generally favorable reviews from music critics who noted its more upbeat, amorous nature and declared it another well-crafted effort from Stone. It reached number six on the

Dutch Album Top 100 The Dutch Album Top 100 or Album Top 100 is a weekly hit list of music albums, compiled by Dutch Charts. It shows the 100 best-selling music albums of the moment in the Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, i ...

and entered the top twenty of the albums charts in Belgium, Finland, and Sweden. In the United States, it debuted at number 14 on the US ''Billboard'' 200. ''Stone Love'' produced three singles, including the

Dance Club Songs The Dance Club Songs (also known as National Disco Action, Hot Dance/Disco Club Play, and Hot Dance Club Play) was a chart published weekly between 1976 and 2020 by ''Billboard'' magazine. It used club disc jockeys set lists to determine the mos ...

chart-topper " I Wanna Thank Ya" as well as the

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

-nominated song "

U-Haul U-Haul Holding Company is an American moving truck, trailer, and self-storage rental company (law), company, based in Phoenix, Arizona, that has been in operation since 1945. The company was founded by Leonard Shoen and Anna Mary Carty in Ridgef ...

". ''Stone Love'' would mark Stone's final album with

Background

As with her previous album,

consulted a wide ranger of producers and songwriters to work with Stone on her third solo album, including

Prince Charles Alexander Charles Alexander (born April 2, 1958), known professionally as Prince Charles Alexander, is an American record producer, audio engineer and professor of music. He received a Grammy for Best Contemporary Soul Gospel Album in 2003. Early life an ...

, Andreao "Fanatic" Heard,

, and Harold Lilly as well as

and her producing partners

Craig Brockman Craig Xavier Brockman is a hip hop and R&B record producer, arranger, keyboardist, and instrumentalist. He mostly works with Missy Elliott, Timbaland, Terrace Martin, Warren G. He is also a member of The Soul Seekers. Production * Madonna - " ...

and

Nisan Stewart Nisan Cumming Stewart is an American minister, record producer and drummer serving since 2014 as Lead Pastor of the Lynwood, California-based Greater Emmanuel Temple Church. Having worked with Timbaland and Missy Elliott on the latter's earlier w ...

. Unlike '' Black Diamond'' (1999) and ''

Mahogany Soul ''Mahogany Soul'' is the second studio album by American singer Angie Stone. It was first released in the United States on October 16, 2001, by J Records. Conceived after her departure from Arista, the transition allowed Stone to exert more arti ...

'' though, Stone was motivated to produce a more upbeat, joyous album following the success of the

Hex Hector Hex Hector (born Héctor Ortiz) is an American music producer and remixer. Early life Hector was born Héctor Ortiz in Manhattan, New York, of a Puerto Rican mother and Cuban father. Career Hex Hector's interest in music began at an early ...

and Mac Quayle-produced remix of her 2002 single "

Wish I Didn't Miss You "Wish I Didn't Miss You" is a song by American recording artist Angie Stone. It was written and produced by Ivan Matias and Andrea Martin for Stone's second studio album, '' Mahogany Soul'' (2001). The song features a sampled composition of the ...

", telling ''

The Advocate An advocate is a professional in the field of law. The Advocate, The Advocates or Advocate may also refer to: Magazines * The Advocate (magazine), ''The Advocate'' (magazine), an LGBT magazine based in the United States * ''The Harvard Advocate' ...

'' in 2004: "I didn't just want to appeal to the broken-spirited or the brokenhearted utto people that were having joy in their life." Guest vocalists on ''Stone Love'' include rapper

Marsha Ambrosius Marsha Ambrosius-Billups, born Marsha Angelique Ambrosius (born 8 August 1977) is an English singer and songwriter. She began her music career in the early 2000s with Floetry, achieving both critical acclaim and commercial success. Following the ...

and

Natalie Stewart Natalie "the Floacist" Stewart (born 13 February 1979) is an English rapper, singer, songwriter, spoken word artist, poet, and actress. Born in Germany and raised in London, she performed in various singing and dancing competitions as a child, ...

from English duo

as well as singers

and Anthony Hamilton which Stone cited as "natural partnerships". Stone's daughter Diamond Stone appears on the

Walter Millsap III Walter Worth Millsap III, sometimes also credited as Lil Walt, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and music executive. Career In 1997, as a teenager, Millsap inked a publishing deal with Jon Platt at EMI and signed a management ...

-produced "You're Gonna Get It", while her former fiancée, rapper T.H.C., appeared on "Karma". On her decision to name the album ''Stone Love'', Stone told '' The San Antonio Current'': " tencapsulates everything about love. That term to me embodies love. I find that a title is as important as the album, it connects the project. There is motherly and sisterly love, man and woman love, but no love is stronger than ''Stone Love''."

Promotion

''Stone Love'' was preceded by its lead single " I Wanna Thank Ya". Produced by

, it features guest vocals from rapper

and samples from Deodato's song "Skatin'" (1980),

Joyce Sims Joyce Elizabeth Sims-Sandiford (August 6, 1959 – October 13, 2022) was an American singer and songwriter, whose biggest hit single, " Come into My Life", reached the top 10 in both the US ''Billboard'' R&B Chart and the UK Singles Chart in 1 ...

's " Come into My Life" (1987),

DeBarge DeBarge was an American musical recording group composed of several members of the DeBarge family. In addition to various solo projects completed by members of the family, DeBarge was active between 1979 and 1989. The group originally consiste ...

's " All This Love" (1982) and "

Take Your Time (Do It Right) "Take Your Time (Do It Right)" is the debut single by American R&B group the S.O.S. Band. It was released as the lead single from their debut studio album, '' S.O.S.'' (1980) on March 18, 1980, through Tabu Records, three months before the album ...

" (1980) from

The S.O.S. Band The S.O.S. Band (sometimes written as S.O.S. Band; abbreviation for Sounds of Success) is an American Contemporary R&B, R&B and Boogie (genre), electro-funk musical ensemble, group who gained fame in the 1980s. They are best known for the songs ...

. Released by

as the album's lead single on May 3, 2004, it reached the top ten of the UK R&B Singles chart and was Stone's second single to reach number one on the US ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

''s

chart. "

", chiefly produced by

, was released as the album's second single on July 26, 2004. Apart from Elliott, singers Tweet and

as well as Stone's daughter Diamond appear as backing vocalists on the song. It reached number 19 on ''Billboard''s

Adult R&B Songs The Adult R&B Songs chart (formerly called Adult R&B Airplay) is an airplay chart that is published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. The chart tracks and measures the airplay of songs played on urban adult contemporary radio stations, whose playl ...

. At the

47th Annual Grammy Awards The 47th Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 13, 2005, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles honoring the best in music for the recording of the year beginning from October 1, 2003, through September 30, 2004. They were hosted by Queen Lat ...

, "U-Haul" was nominated for a

Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance The Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance (previously called Best Rhythm and Blues Solo Vocal Performance, Female) was an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Award ...

. Third and final single " Stay for a While", a duet with Anthony Hamilton, was issued on October 11, 2004. It peaked at number 21 on the Adult R&B Songs chart.

Critical reception

Upon its release, ''Stone Love'' received critical acclaim from

music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on ...

. At

Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...

, which assigns a

normalized Normalization or normalisation refers to a process that makes something more normal or regular. Science * Normalization process theory, a sociological theory of the implementation of new technologies or innovations * Normalization model, used in ...

rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has an average score of 68, based on 13 critical reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

editor Rob Theakston felt that ''Stone Love'' "pleasantly picks up where ''

'' left off, presenting a wiser, more even-keel Stone putting her best foot forward right from the album's onset." He called the album Stone's "most focused and accomplished full-length to date. A delightful album for a summer day, and an enjoyable listen from start to finish." Gail Mitchell of ''

'' found that "Stone's soulful, sassy vocals are once again the centerpiece of another well-crafted effort. Whether discoursing on love or heartbreak, the singer/songwriter/musician never leaves an emotional stone unturned." Robert Sandall, writing for ''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was found ...

'', felt that ''Stone Love'' differs from Stone's first two albums "principally in its upbeat, amorous mood" and that it "intricately played, ergesold-school arrangements gracefully with modern beats. Her deceptively powerful voice, beautifully layered and never over-used, is, as ever, world class." ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...

''s David Browne wrote that ''Stone Love'' "sways pleasurably from start to finish, buoyed by floaty old-school R&B ..It's easy to luxuriate in its cushy production, to nod along with the occasionally clever line, or to enjoy the duo

's stern-voiced harmonies ..Everything is balmy, modestly funky – and strangely devoid of outright passion." Steve Hands from ''

musicOMH ''MusicOMH'' (stylized as ''musicOMH'') is a London-based online music magazine which publishes independent reviews, features and interviews from across all genres including classical, metal, rock and R&B. History ''MusicOMH'' was founded an ...

'' critic found that ''Stone Love'' "neatly avoids the saccharine seasoning and horrendous filler that so bedevilled soul albums back in the day way before R&B got a healthy dose of hip-hop in its veins." He noted that while the album has its moments when you feel tone'son automatic ndit's a tad longer than it really needs to be," there "is more than enough here to wipe away the working day." ''

People The term "the people" refers to the public or Common people, common mass of people of a polity. As such it is a concept of human rights law, international law as well as constitutional law, particularly used for claims of popular sovereignty. I ...

'' magazine remarked that "on her righteous third album, Stone continues to carve out retro-'70s R&B rich in the tradition of greats like

and

Chart performance

''Stone Love'' debuted at number 14 on the US ''Billboard'' 200 in the week of July 24, 2004, selling 52,000 in its first week of release. The album also debuted and peaked at number four on the

Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a music chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine that ranks R&B and hip-hop albums based on sales in the United States and is compiled by Luminate. The chart debuted as Hot R&B LPs in the issue dated January 30, ...

chart, and marked Stone's first top ten entry on the

, peaking at number six. It also reached the top twenty of the albums charts in Belgium, Finland, and Sweden as well as on the R&B charts in Australia and the United Kingdom. ''Billboard'' ranked it 89th on its US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums year-end listing. The following year, Stone asked for and was granted a release from

. In 2007, after signing with

Stax Records Stax Records is an American record company, originally based in Memphis, Tennessee. Founded in 1957 as Satellite Records, the label changed its name to Stax Records in September 1961. It also shared its operations with sister label Volt Records. ...

, she opened up about the label change. Speaking with ''

The Baltimore Sun ''The Baltimore Sun'' is the largest general-circulation daily newspaper based in the U.S. state of Maryland and provides coverage of local, regional, national, and international news. Founded in 1837, the newspaper was owned by Tribune Publi ...

'', Stone said: "Originally, that album was called ''Diary of a Soul Sister''. It was gonna be set up with me working with icons like

Roberta Flack Roberta Cleopatra Flack (February 10, 1937 – February 24, 2025) was an American singer and pianist known for her emotive, genre-blending ballads that spanned R&B, jazz, Folk music, folk, and pop and contributed to the birth of the quiet storm ...

Natalie Cole Natalie Maria Cole (February 6, 1950 – December 31, 2015) was an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She was the daughter of singer and jazz pianist Nat King Cole. She rose to prominence in the mid-1970s, with the release of her debut ...

... But

Alicia Keys Alicia Augello Cook (born January 25, 1981), known professionally as Alicia Keys, is an American singer and songwriter. A classically trained pianist, Keys began composing songs at the age of 12 and was signed by Columbia Records at 15. After d ...

was gonna use the title ''

The Diary of Alicia Keys ''The Diary of Alicia Keys'' is the second studio album by American singer Alicia Keys. It was released on December 2, 2003, by J Records. The album was recorded at several recording studios, and production was handled primarily by Keys with cont ...

''. So I was asked y label founder Clive Davis">Clive_Davis.html" ;"title="y label founder Clive Davis">y label founder Clive Davisto change my concept. The focus was derailed on the last album, and I asked to be released after that." In his 2013 autobiography ''The Soundtrack of My Life'', Davis contradicted Stone's impression that she had been treated unfavorably compared to Keys.

Track listing

Notes * signifies a co-producer * signifies an associate producer Sample credits * "Stoned Love (Intro)" is a cover of the 1970 single by the Supremes. * "I Wanna Thank Ya" contains re-sung lyrics from "Come into My Life" by

and interpolations of " All This Love" by

. * "Lovers' Ghetto" contains elements from "Adventures in the Land of Music" by

Dynasty A dynasty is a sequence of rulers from the same family, usually in the context of a monarchy, monarchical system, but sometimes also appearing in republics. A dynasty may also be referred to as a "house", "family" or "clan", among others. H ...

. * "You're Gonna Get It" contains samples from "

La-La (Means I Love You) "La-La (Means I Love You)" is an R&B/soul song by American vocal group the Delfonics. Released originally in December, 1967 by Philly Groove Records, the song was written by Thom Bell and William Hart, and produced by Bell and Stan Watson. Backg ...

" by

the Delfonics The Delfonics were an American R&B/soul vocal group from Philadelphia. The Delfonics were most popular in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Their most notable hits include " La-La (Means I Love You)", " Didn't I (Blow Your Mind This Time)", "Bre ...

. * "Come Home (Live with Me)" contains samples from "Come Live with Me" by

Dorothy Ashby Dorothy Jeanne Thompson (August 6, 1932 – April 13, 1986), better known as Dorothy Ashby, was an American jazz harpist, singer and composer. Hailed as one of the most "unjustly under loved jazz greats of the 1950s" and the "most accomplished ...

. * "You Don't Love Me" contains excerpts from "

We've Only Just Begun "We've Only Just Begun" is a single by the Carpenters, written by Roger Nichols (music) and Paul Williams (lyrics). It was ranked at No. 414 on ''Rolling Stone'' magazine's list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time." It also became Carpenter ...

" by

Curtis Mayfield Curtis Lee Mayfield (June 3, 1942 – December 26, 1999) was an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. Dubbed the " Gentle Genius", he is considered one of the most influential musicians of soul and socially conscious Afric ...

. * "That Kind of Love" contains samples from "(I'm Going By) The Stars in Your Eyes" by Ron Banks and

the Dramatics The Dramatics are an American soul music vocal group, formed in Detroit, Michigan, in 1964. They are best known for their 1970s hit songs " In the Rain" and " Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get", both of which were Top 10 Pop hits, as well as their lat ...

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of ''Stone Love''.

Musicians

– vocals ; background vocals ; additional keyboards *

– vocals *

– vocal ad-libs *

– vocals * Warryn "Baby Dubb" Campbell – instruments, programming * Sean Cooper – sound design * Harold Lilly – background vocals *

– all instruments * Craig X. Brockman – all instruments * John "Jubu" Smith – all instruments *

– background vocals * Tweet – background vocals * Diamond Stone – background vocals ; vocals *

– background vocals ; vocals * Anthony Hamilton – vocals * Jonathan Richmond – all instruments (as Jon Rych) ; background vocals ; additional vocal performance * Eric Walls – guitar * Juanita Wynn – background vocals * Baby Paul – drum programming * Rufus Blaq – drum programming * Jamel "Melekeyz" Oliver – keyboards *

– keyboards * Khadejia Bass – background vocals * Stephanie Bolton – background vocals * Walter (DJ Walt) Millsap III – instruments, programming *

Tamara Savage Tamara Savage is an American songwriter born in 1979 in California, who started writing songs in 1998 at the age of 19. She has written for Tamia, Monica, Faith Evans, Mary Mary, Heather Headley, Shanice, Whitney Houston, Mýa and Tracie Spence ...

– background vocals * Joi Campbell – background vocals * Supa Ugly K-Love – additional programming * Jamal Peoples –

Fender Rhodes The Rhodes piano (also known as the Fender Rhodes piano) is an electric piano invented by Harold Rhodes, which became popular in the 1970s. Like a conventional piano, the Rhodes generates sound with keys and hammers, but instead of strings, t ...

* Steve Bethany – guitar * Crystal Johnson – background vocals * T.H.C. – vocals * Andreao "Fanatic" Heard – all instruments, programming

Technical

* Angie Stone – production ; executive production * Jonathan Richmond – production * Jazze Pha – production * Arnold Wolfe – recording * Tim Donovan – recording ; mixing * Yutaka Kawana – recording assistance ; recording ; mixing assistance * Serban Ghenea – mixing * John Hanes – additional

Pro Tools Pro Tools is a digital audio workstation (DAW) developed and released by Avid Technology (formerly Digidesign) for Microsoft Windows and macOS. It is used for music creation and production, sound for picture (sound design, audio post-productio ...

engineering * Tim Roberts – engineering assistance * Warryn "Baby Dubb" Campbell – production * Harold Lilly – co-production * Bruce Buechner – recording * Ann Mincieli – recording *

Manny Marroquin Manny Marroquin (born September 21, 1971) is a Guatemalan-American record mixing engineer. He has been credited on albums for high-profile pop, R&B, hip hop and rock acts. He has worked with artists including Rihanna, Kanye West, Katy Perry ...

– mixing * Sandra Campbell – project coordination * Alonzo Vargas – engineering assistance * Missy Elliott – production * Nisan Stewart – co-production * Craig X. Brockman – co-production * John "Jubu" Smith – co-production * Carlos Bedoya – recording *

Marcella Araica Marcella Christina Araica is an American recording and mixing engineer, who has recorded and mixed tracks for artists including Britney Spears, Duran Duran, K. Michelle, Ciara, Keri Hilson, Madonna, P!nk and Timbaland. Biography Araica started h ...

– recording assistance * Paul Falcone – mixing * Daniel "Boom" Wierup – recording * Rob Barahona – recording assistance * Rufus Blaq – production, recording * Prince Charles Alexander – production, recording, mixing * Jamel "Melekeyz" Oliver – associate production * Louis Alfred III – recording * Elai Tubo – recording * Walter (DJ Walt) Millsap III – production, recording * David Lopez – recording * Rabeka Tunei – mixing assistance * Supa Ugly K-Love – production * Andre Netto – recording assistance * Bill Importico – recording * Andreao "Fanatic" Heard – production * Sherrod Barnes – production * Eddie Krakaur – recording * Herb Powers Jr. – mastering *

Peter Edge Peter Edge is an English-American record executive. He is the chairman and CEO of RCA Records. Early life and education Edge was born near Coventry, England. Fueled in part by his sister's record collection – which included influential re ...

– executive production

Artwork

* Alli – art direction, design * Marc (Poppa) Baptiste – photography * Chris LeBeau – art department production

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Release history

Notes

References

{{Authority control 2004 albums Albums produced by Craig Brockman Albums produced by Jazze Pha Albums produced by Missy Elliott Albums produced by Warryn Campbell Albums recorded at Westlake Recording Studios Angie Stone albums Arista Records albums J Records albums