Only Angie
Of course, the music world, family, fans and friends awoke to tragic news of Angie Stone’s, age 63, untimely passing that morning as she and her band left Montgomery, Alabama on that first day in March. To say her transition came as a shock, is an understatement. After all, Angela Laverne Brown dedicated her entire life to music and in the process gave the world her gift of music.
Only Angie Stone could have written, recorded, and vocalized the stellar “No More Rain (In This Cloud)” from her Arista solo debut Black Diamond that spawned 2-step mixes from Booker T and the more soulful sounding than future sounding mixes by Club 69 of “Life Story.” Next, does anyone recall her duet with the iconic Prince? Me neither. But what followed, at the millennium’s turn, made up for any mere disappointment.
The Second Time Was A Charm
There on my kitchen table, sprinkled amongst a host of neo-soul pioneers was Angie Stone’s Mahogany Soul with her oversized Fro, pouty-lips and star-gazed eyes that stared at me. The compact disc belonged to my roommate, a songwriter and singer himself, while we lived in Nashville. At this point, Angie Stone was everywhere. “Brotha” played on heavy rotation at Black radio and the music video broadcasted on BET. Who can forget “Brotha Part II” with label mate Alicia Keys and raptress Eve?
But it would be the bonafide release of her second single from Mahogany Soul’s, “Wish I Didn’t Miss You” that cemented Angie’s footprint in the world of dance music. If songs held their weight in gold, this was platinum. “Wish I Didn’t Miss You” was that song. It was a whole vibe when released in the early aughts. Who can forget Stones’ fluttery delivery of, “All you wanna do is smoke chronic?” Rumored to be about her baby-daddy, a certain Neo-soul crooner. And the world paid attention. Stone scored her first anthem atop Billboard’s Dance Chart. The Hex Hector/Mac Quayle versions topped mixshows on Saturday nights across the country. Then came the Pound Boys Stoneface Bootleg straight outta Denver. I listened to them all at listening stations at my best friend named Tower Records.
By that time, J Record’s VP of A&R Hosh Gureli had reinvented Toni Braxton, Deborah Cox and Whitney Houston as dance divas and now it was Angie’s moment. As Angie told Calvin Richardson at the start of their duet, “More Than A Woman,” that it was his time-it was now her time to ascend to her throne of dance.
After the commercial success of “Wish I Didn’t Miss You,” Gureli commissioned the late Guido Osorio to remix the fifth and final Mahogany Soul release “Bottles and Cans.” The remix failed to match its predecessor’s chart reign, but hey, “Bottles and Cans” was never gold standard.
After recording three albums and a compilation under Clive Davis, Stone departed J records.
In 2005, Clive Davis wasted no time releasing Stone Hits: The Very Best Of Angie Stone compilation that featured the only new single, the groovy Womack & Womack’s “Baby, I’m Scared of You” sampled, “I Wasn’t Kidding.” Hosh Gureli, determined to keep Stone’s signature riffs in clubland, commissioned the UK’s Freemasons for remix duties on the mainstream front. But another movement was a brew in the world of underground dance music.
According to discogs, the white label Shelter Mix was released in 2006.
That summer of 2006, I faced failure. I drove through life aimlessly with no direction. My world stuck on autopilot. In Atlanta, a local deejay and friend burned me a compact disc of remixes. “Give this a listen,” He suggested. I did so. There was a remix that floored me. One version that sparkled brighter than them all. I became a full blown addict. Everyday, for the remainder of the year, I played and danced to “Wish I Didn’t Miss You” by Scott Wozniak and Timmy Regisford the Shelter Vocal Remix.
On first listen, my ears were entranced by Wozniak’s constructed studio wizardry. Every instrument in its place. I interpreted hidden melodies within the drums. The pads and keys uplifted my mood from somber to hype. Stone’s mezzo-soprano ignited that passion in me that only an audiophile appreciates. The music spoke to the depths of my soul. I dreamed of being so lucky to prance and twirl at the legendary Club Shelter in NYC. I imagined experiencing an ethereal transcendence as the club’s longtime music selector Timmy Regisford whipped up the crowd with an extended ten-minutes plus slow-cooker that boiled over the edge with a key-dazzling Rhode solo from “Wish I Didn’t Miss You” (Shelter Vocal).
And the fun continued, with what would become Stone’s biggest underground dance anthem. Wozniak and Regisford released a white label to “I Wasn’t Kidding.” Although, particularly not my favorite with a most unforgettable piano solo that slaps, The Shelter Vocal played regularly at parties around the globe. Kerri Chandler even played it a few years back. In Queens, that was the last time I heard the tune. Needless to say, the house heads loved them some Angie Stone. And so did I.
The following year, Stone lived the independent singer life having released The Art of Love and War on Stax recordings. In the UK, BBC’s Pete Tong premiered a surprise, many did not see coming. The English duo Groove Armada released a bonus song featuring vocalist Angie Stone. Around the world, dance floors rejoiced to “Feel the Same.” Baltimore’s The MuthaFunkaz’s, DJ Spen and Karizma provided remix duties and a touch of soul on the digital release that topped digital dance charts.
Born Angela Laverne Brown in Columbia, South Carolina, she was an only child.
Stone’s contributions to dance music were heralded with praise. Her discography bookmarked various genres of music throughout her storied career. She is the same Angie credited for being in the first female rap group, Sequence. She held a Vertical Hold on fans in the early 90’s. She released a featuring album as Angie B. Stone in Japan. All before she, herself became a global music, actress and reality celebrity at a time when the music industry went to shits. Music labels folded, music retail shuttered, and the rise of digital downloads all doomed an apocalyptic landscape. Through private and public tribulations, Angie held steady. She released new music, performed duets with the likes of UK’s Omar, “Stylin” and the Reel People with a cover of Yarbrough & Peoples’ “Don’t Stop The Music.” Angie was just that, a stone who did not stop making music. In 2023, her final release, Love Language’s “Kiss You” even contained a Jersey Club Mix.
There are songs that pivot the universe. Songs that become your life-your lover, your friend, your child. Music soundtracks moments long forgotten but can be quickly realized. Recall the exact moment you first heard this track or that tune. The year, the day and even the smell to the nanosecond returns to mind. That special moment lives within you forever. No matter the season, challenges, or obstacles faced. Music speaks to the heart. It’s knowledge and power provides strength in times of confusion and clarity. For me “Wish I Didn’t Miss You” (Shelter Mix) was just that and more. And for that Angie Stone, “I wanna thank you.”
wrds: aj dance
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Tags: Angie Stone, Booker T, Bottles and Cans, Brotha, Club 69, dance music, DJ Spen, Don't Stop the Music, Feel the Same, Hex Hector/MacQuale, house music, I Wasn't Kidding, Karizma, Life Story, Muthafunkaz, Pound Boys, Scott Wozniak, Shelter Remix, soulful house music, Timmy Regisford, underground house music, Wish I Didn't Miss You