Angie Stone’s “No More Rain (In This Cloud)” was the first official moment of her music career as a solo artist. In the ’80s, Stone was a hip-hop pioneer as a member of the all-woman rap trio The Sequence. In the early ’90s, she was a vocalist in the groups Vertical Hold and Devox. She also was a songwriter on D’Angelo’s first two albums and sang backup for Lenny Kravitz’s 5 album. Stone wrote “No More Rain (In This Cloud)” with Gordon Chambers and Bert Williams for her 1999 debut solo album Black Diamond. There was an immediate catchiness to the song because of its sonic foundation built on a sample of “Neither One Of Us (Wants To Be The First To Say Goodbye)” by Gladys Knight & the Pips.Â
The fusion of Stone’s voice over a 27-year old classic soul sample was nostalgic but natural as Stone’s artistry seamlessly merged both eras. She received two Soul Train Award nominations for “No More Rain (In This Cloud)” and it was a number one Adult R&B hit. Black Diamond eventually reached Gold status and Stone’s presence as a solo singer was seen as part of the neo-soul movement.Â
Stone released her ninth album Full Circle in 2019.
