Who is Jill Scott? answers call for quality R&B
By ARIENNE THOMPSON
Scene Music Critic
While the boy bands and teeny bopper idols churn out platinum tripe, there does in fact exist a more thoughtful side of the music industry that succeeds in finding fresh new acts with actual creative ability and panache.
As Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera are marketed for mass consumption, Jill Scott is honest, and Jill Scott is in love. Jill Scott is a poet, and Jill Scott has soul. Yet, there is still one mystery that begs to be uncovered with a gentle desperation: Who is Jill Scott?
With her impressive debut album, Scott attempts to give an answer to this intriguing, yet complicated inquiry by presenting the essence of herself and the genre of neo-soul to listeners in a direct and beautiful manner.
A prominent poet in her native Philadelphia, Scott made a name for herself in the music industry when she helped pen the Grammy-winning single "You Got Me" for The Roots, who she also toured with for quite some time. It was this work that won the attention of Jeff Townes (aka: DJ Jazzy Jeff), who produced Scott's debut album, and Hidden Beach CEO/Founder Steve McKeever.
Released last July, Who Is Jill Scott? was not an immediate commercial success. However, because of Scott's fame as a poet the album later gathered a grassroots following and she was well on her out of the cave of anonymity. Incidentally, however, Scott's recent fame and recognition has come from the clever and telling video for her song "Gettin' In The Way," in which she lays down the law, proclaiming to her would-be romantic adversary, "You betta back down before you get smacked down/ You betta chill." The video solidified Scott's appeal as a tell-it-like-it-is soul singer, and this factor has been the key to her success as an honest and emotional singer and songwriter.
With her cropped auburn afro and deep black words, Scott is neo-soul. She easily and fully exemplifies those qualities and notions associated with the genre both in life and on her album. She is conscious, spiritual and open; she is thoughtful, interesting and unconventional.
Thus, she has secured her niche within the creative circle of her contemporaries, which includes, among others, Erykah Badu (to whom Scott is most often compared), Maxwell, Eric Benét, Amel Larrieux and D'Angelo.
Using the album as her tool, Scott places herself among the greats of neo-soul with a stunning authenticity and brilliance.
Each track on this wonderful debut from Scott is refreshingly different, as each is complemented by the superb production efforts of Jazzy Jeff and his group of engineers, including Andre Harris, Vidal Davis and Keith Pelzer. And though each track is compelling and ultimately exceptional, several tracks stand alone as pure gems.
Scott floats lightly through the sweet, anxious "Honey Molasses," while carefully pacing herself through the melancholy "Slowly Surely." "A Long Walk" revels in the joy of companionship and dating, as Scott sings forcefully: "Let's take a long walk around the park after dark/ Find a spot for us to spark/ Conversation, verbal elation, stimulation/ Share our situations, temptations, education, relaxations, elevations/ Maybe baby we can save the nation." The clever "One Is The Magic #" demonstrates the artist's inherent ability as a poet, as she explains the significance of being an individual.
Scott is at her absolute best, however, on the outstanding "He Loves Me (Lyzel in E Flat)," displaying her ability to smoothly flutter in and out of her roles as poet and vocalist. She beautifully merges the accents and rhythms of her speaking voice with the richness and tone of her singing voice. The song is made all the more perfect by the addition of violin, viola and cello, which gives it a depth that is not matched anywhere else on the album. Scott's emotions drip from every word, drawing the listener in and creating an all too rare sense of perfection in composition and structure.
Not within the past year has an R&B album revealed so skillfully and purposefully who an artist is. Jill Scott is every word of every song; she is each beat and each sound. Without so much as batting an eye, she completely and fully presents to the listener and the world who, why, and how she is.
Initial doubts are diminished and she rests comfortably atop a masterpiece. Poised in such a position, Jill Scott no longer faces the initial anonymity of the new artist, rather, she has simply begun the journey of defining herself through music for years to come.
All Scene Stories for Tuesday, January 30, 2001
