Her Sunshine Has Come, Again

11/17/1999 6:00 PM, Yahoo! Music
Marcia Cole

Angie Stone is a sista's sista. Look into her almond-shaped eyes and you know she shares your pain. Follow the coils of her Afro and you'll see where she's been and where you're going. And like R&B's most recent songstresses--Lauryn, Erykah--Stone sings from a portal of innate wisdom that rides on the wings of a conscious spirit. Her debut set, Black Diamond (Arista), is an honest reflection of that.

On a cool night at Shine, a cozy, dimly lit New York City bar, I watch as Stone effortlessly channels her messages about love lost and won, its past regrets and its hopes for brighter days, to a room jam-packed with somewhat jaded journalists. Her hair big and billowing, her makeup flawlessly applied, Stone delivers a five-song set that rocks their hearts into a retro-fueled stupor. She ends her stay with a gospel-laced thank you.

But she isn't just thanking the audience for showing their support, she is in essence thanking the powers-that-be for allowing her dream to become a reality. Having been a part of the music industry for 20 years, Stone understands the unusual nature of its game: it rarely allows anyone to remake him- or herself more than once. Yet Stone is a master of reinvention. She started at the age of 17 as rapper Angie B, in the group Sequence ("Funk You Up"); then she penned lyrics for artists like Mary J. Blige, Solo, and Malik Pendleton; she then played sax in Lenny Kravitz's band; then she became the lead singer for soul band Vertical Hold ("Seems You're Much Too Busy"); and, more recently, she was the backup singer, songwriter, and girlfriend of D'Angelo.

During those years, when Stone wasn't writing for others, she placed her trials and joys down on paper and turned those words into songs. And in 1996, when it seemed that she'd have to sacrifice her 15 minutes in order to a pursue a more steady source of income to support her daughter, Diamond, she inked a solo deal. Three years later, she gave birth to Black Diamond, named after her daughter. "The album took so long because when I started the project, I was pregnant with my second child," relates Stone from her New Jersey home. "I had such a rough pregnancy that I had to hold back. After I had Michael [her son with D'Angelo], it was just like, step back and regroup. Then acts with more seniority than me on the label had to come out before me, so we waited until it was the right time. But I believe in divine order, and this was meant to happen now because I am prepared for it."

As a music industry veteran, Stone recalls what it was like to taste a glimmer of success before she was ready. "Sequence was my first breakthrough in the industry. But it was just luck that the song became so popular. Back then, I wasn't ready for the attention, the success, the industry--none of it. The rap divisions are the roughest parts of the business; it was so raw and no-frills. But starting as a rapper has fashioned who I am today as an artist." And while her later group Vertical Hold also had a hit single, their version of neo-soul was way ahead of the industry's rap-heavy tastes.

On her road to recovery, Stone fell in love with D'Angelo, collaborated on his debut bow, and went on tour with him for a year. That experience too was filled with hills and valleys. "The friendship became troubled because of the press and because so many people knew [that we were together]," she says honestly. "They would watch me at my house and this one guy would send me a dozen roses all the time, with questions like 'why am I with him?' and stuff. It became frightful and crazy. That's why we decided to have Michael out of state. Now, I watch everything that I do and I'm careful of the company I keep."

Although her love relationship with D'Angelo didn't end in marriage--something she says neither one of them were ready for--the two still enjoy a strong bond with each other and with their son. "We're friends and parents, and we have an immense amount of respect for each other," she shares. "I have someone special in my life right now." So has her sunshine finally come, as her debut single states? "My children are my life, and between them and focusing on doing what I love to do best, I'm content. I've been through a lot, but in the end, I'm a God-fearing sister who knows what time it is."