Eight albums into a slow-burn career that started in 1979, R&B legend Angie Stone has thrown her fans a creative curveball. As the title suggests, Covered in Soul is a collection of cover versions ranging from the fairly obvious (Stevie Wonder’s I Believe, Bob Marley’s Is This Love) to the unexpected, including a carbon copy of UB40’s cover of Red Red Wine and an oddly bloodless take on Phil Collins’s In the Air Tonight. Unfortunately, too often the songs are hampered by their listless production, Stone’s honeyed vocals trying their best to inject some life into proceedings. Tacked on to the end are three reworkings of Stone’s own songs, including the ever excellent Brotha, but this is one for completists only.
