R&B singer Angie Stone — who explores classic '70s soul sounds on her debut album, Black Diamond — soon may find herself working with one of her inspirations from that decade.

"In one of my articles, [the writer] asked me who would I really want to work with, and I said 'Earth, Wind & Fire,' " the 35-year-old Stone said backstage at the Soul Train Awards, on March 4 in Los Angeles. She said a representative for the band contacted her in February, telling her the group would like to work with her, too.

"That's a dream come true for me," Stone said.

"The group reached out to her about collaborating on some songs for their upcoming album, but nothing's written in stone yet," Marlynn Snyder, a publicist for Stone's label, Arista, said.

Stone's first single, the lush ballad "No More Rain (In This Cloud)" (RealAudio excerpt) samples Gladys Knight & the Pips' 1973 song "Neither One of Us (Wants to Be the First to Say Goodbye)." Black Diamond also features a version of Marvin Gaye's "Trouble Man" and a collaboration between Stone and ex-boyfriend D'Angelo, called "Everyday" (RealAudio excerpt).

Earth, Wind & Fire were formed in 1969. Their string of '70s hits included the anthemic "Shining Star" (RealAudio excerpt), the funky "Serpentine Fire" and the disco classic "Boogie Wonderland." The group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame earlier this month.