There are reports that EMI are set to sue Joss Stone in a dispute over her record contract and next album 'Colour Me Free', which was originally pencilled in for an April release.
Rumour has it Stone is trying to buy herself our of her current four album recording contract with the London-based major, arguing that none of the people she signed up to work with are at the music firm any more, following EMI's much previously reported executive cull following its acquisition by equity group Terra Firma.
Some say Stone has offered up to £2 million to be freed from her commitments to the major, so she can take the master tapes for the aforementioned new album to another record company, or possibly release it herself. But the record company, no doubt aware that Stone is still one of their more bankable stars, is apparently not keen to let her go. That, rumour has it, has led to the singer refusing to hand over the master tapes for 'Colour Me Free', hence EMI's plans to go legal.
All that said, when speaking to the Daily Mail, Stone seemed to imply the delays on the release of her new album were not a result of her refusing to hand over the masters, but because of delays at the record company. The Mail quote her thus: " were supposed to be launching the album in April but now they've postponed it until July. They really need to pull their finger out. I've worked very hard on this record and I don't know what the plans are until EMI confirm a release date".
Either way, it doesn't sound like Stone is much of a fan of her label just now.