By Gregg Shapiro

Contributing writer

You know the saying, “good girls go to heaven, bad girls go everywhere?” Good or bad, Rihanna and Joss Stone are definitely going places. Very close in age, career timing and style, one thing’s certain—Rihanna and Stone both want to take you dancing.

Having “the balls to change” her style, Joss Stone reintroduces herself to listeners on “Introducing Joss Stone” (Virgin). That might seem like a strange name for the third full-length album by an artist whose debut album was a fine “how do you do” and established her right out of the gate. But like Nelly Furtado, whose most recent album was a conscious move away from her previous two towards the dance-floor, Stone has undergone some musical renovations.

One thing that hasn’t changed is Stone’s blue-eyed (and blue-eye-shadowed) soul vocals. She’s belting as big as before. It’s just that this time there is a definitive dance direction at the soul of the project. The bouncy “Girl They Won’t Believe It” is a fitting intro to the new Stone, and while it still contains some of the retro elements we’ve come to expect, it also makes a point of indicating that something different is happening here. The same can be said of “Tell Me ‘Bout It,” which is also dance-floor bound. Like Sinead O’Connor’s “I Want Your (Hands on Me),” “Put Your Hands on Me” connects the increased heartbeats of touching with dance beats and find good use for hands besides waving them around over your head. “Arms of My Baby” throws down a Latin beat, while “Bad Habit,” “Proper Nice” and “Baby Baby Baby” all recall various points in the history of soul-infused dance music.

Mysterious double entendre aside, Rihanna’s kick-off track and massive hit single “Umbrella” is a thundering 21st century bump and grind that will probably continue to activate more than a few summer storms. A far more bumping number, “Push Up on Me” provides a soundtrack for vertical and horizontal dance moves, but it’s “Don’t Stop the Music,” that is the disc’s first certifiable dance-floor sensation. This is the kind of filtered house jam that could cause French disco acts such as Daft Punk and Justice to salivate. The only thing missing from “Breakin’ Dishes” is an “opaa” call and flaming cheese, while “Shut Up and Drive,” with its New Order “Blue Monday” sample, is sure to drive listeners to the dance floor. “Sell Me Candy” will appeal to more than few people with a sweet tooth and “Lemme Get That” is a reflection of Rihanna’s Caribbean roots.