Jill Scott: BEAUTIFULLY HUMAN

[JSngry]

No, but a nation of people living in the spirit of Scott's words and accompanying music could certainly go a long way towards saving itself. This is one serious sister, and this is one serious album. There's so much redemption, strength, and affirmation in this music that it's frightening to think about how/why it's so attention-grabbing. This should be the norm. Instead...

Stunning, complex, deeply grooving, and HIGHLY recommended.

[Noj]

I'll heartily second this recommendation. FAR superior to her debut album, which wasn't bad.

[WD45]

That single made me want to go out and save the world myself! I would like to hear the rest of the album.

[jazzbo]

I haven't heard any of her music. I'm out of it when it comes to contemporary R&B. But she has a nice website, she's a very beautiful woman and seems like a NICE person, not the usual "nasty" R&B image that seems promoted. With such solid recommendation, I should look into her music!

[relyles]

I wholeheartedly second the recommendation. Ms. Scott is a mature talented artist and all three of her recordings are well worth hearing. She also puts on a very good live show.

[pryan]

Checking out some clips on her website (jillscott.com) right now. Sounds really good to me, and I'm not an expert in this kind of music at all. I think I'll be grabbing this. Thanks for the rec., Jim.

[JSngry]

This is a deeply beautiful record.

[jazzbo]

I ordered her second one (the two cd set) just to be different! Should be here in a week. . . .

[Jim Dye]

Thanks for reminding me about this record. I heard a review on the radio and it sounds like something I'd dig.

On a similar note, I just ordered this from the good folks at Hip-OSelect.

http://www.hip-oselect.com/catalogue_ruffin.asp

An unreleased David Ruffin album from 1971. Looks very promising.

I'll report my findings to the committee.

[relyles]

I ordered her second one (the two cd set) just to be different! Should be here in a week. . . .

The live portions of that two CD set are a good example of what her live show was like at the time - which was very good.

[pryan]

You can download one tune (in mp3 format) from her website, you just have to enter your e-mail address. The tune is called "My Petition" and it's from the new album. Good stuff. Can't wait to getting my own copy of this album.

[Man with the Golden Arm]

Thanks for the heads up on the homepage. Listening now...nice.

Can somebody tell me where that keyb lick on "Bedda at Home" is from ... man that's a catchy little vamp if that's what ya call it. Looks like this might be the stocking stuffer for the ever soul lovin wife.

Too much...Just got the "Elements of the 7th" from Jim's last rave... still awaiting that "Jerome Richardson at the Movies" to show in CD form.

[couw]

Can somebody tell me where that keyb lick on "Bedda at Home" is from ...

dunno, combined with the beat, it reminds me of some similar snippety snippets on that Courtney Pine Modern Day Jazz Stories disk.

[JSngry]

Repeated listens stoke, not dampen, my enthusiasm for this record.

It's like the all-out musical, political, and lyrical sophistication of early/mid 70s Stevie Wonder & Marvin Gaye, sung by a woman who can cover all the bases (and who also has resonance in her lower register, something I always like). Plus, she's got, at time, a bit of Betty Davis' raw and open sexuality, only she's not in the least bit "slutty" about it. Props given to Minnie Ripperton in the liners are apt, but that's just the tip of this iceberg. Between Ms. Scott's lyrics and her collaborators' music, this is everything I dug about 70s R&B made new again and recast in a totally contemporary fashion. Ain't no "retro" on this rocket! There's skill, there's craft, there's hipness, there's knowledge, there's a full range of emotions, there's nuance, there's confidence, there's MUSIC for god's sake!

I didn't think they made records like this any more. I was beginning to wonder if people even FELT like this anymore. Gives me hope to find out that they do.

Edited November 11, 2004 by JSngry

[relyles]

Jim. You really like this recording.

[JSngry]

Yep.

[Alexander]

Well, I actually picked up both this album and "Who Is Jill Scott?" on the strength of Jim's recommendation, and I agree that both are absolutely gorgeous. Ms Scott has a gravity defying voice and a knack for melodic invention that leads me to think that she'd sing some nice jazz...not that I want her to put together one of those dreaded "standards" packages that's so in vogue these days...

[JSngry]

Ms Scott has a gravity defying voice and a knack for melodic invention that leads me to think that she'd sing some nice jazz...not that I want her to put together one of those dreaded "standards" packages that's so in vogue these days...

As somebody who unapologetically put a Marvin Gaye cut on my BFT on the grounds that it was more "jazz" than a LOT of jazz, I'll agree.

I'll also suggest that, in terms of what "jazz" has meant historically in the socio-politico-whatevero context of certain "communities" that what Ms. Scott is doing now IS jazz in terms of substance and significance.

But y'all didn't hear that from me, ok?

[Noj]

There are a select few current R&B artists carrying the torch, so to speak. Erykah Badu, D'Angelo, and Bilal are a few other favorites of mine. What are your opinions of those three, Jim?

[JSngry]

Badu gets on my nerves after a while, but that's just me.

D'Angelo is cool.

Don't know Bilal. Yet...

R&B (hell, pop in general) has turned into such a young person's music (or is it simply that I'm getting older? ) that I've done like most other old farts and mostly hung on to my "memories". That stuff is more than good enough to stay good for the duration.

Most of the new stuff I hear is through osmosis - my kids, their friends, people I work with, random radio/tv encounters, etc. It's all "good", but nothing I haven't heard before, in some form or fashion. I like a lot of it, but not too much "sticks", if you know what I mean.

Jill Scott is sticking!

[pryan]

I'm REALLY enjoying this one. So much of the pop/R &B/whatever coming out today sounds quite contrived to my ears whereas this one does seem "genuine", like Jill actually means what she says. The feeling she puts into each song is deep and the tunes and lyrics themselves are very powerful and strike a chord in me that even a lot of jazz records/tunes do not. Don't hesitate to grab this one, you won't regret it.

[.:.impossible]

I've missed this thread somehow. This album makes me sob with joy when I listen to it. It is her honesty. I listen to it in the mornings alot. This music just has such a "real" depth that feels like she is truthfully reaching out to PEOPLE. She's not singing to be hip. She's not singing for the industry to notice.

Its a matter of time before Nessa comes in and cuts on all of us for being such weenies.

[pryan]

Here is a review of the album that I just submitted to the newspaper that I write for. Comments are welcome.

Jill Scott - Beautifully Human: Words and Sounds Vol. 2 (Hidden Beach Recordings)

The title, Beautifully Human, tells you all you need to know about this album: it’s beautiful and it’s human. Jill Scott sings with such passion and feeling that you’ll want to spin this album over and over. Trust me.

Scott sings about life: the good, the bad, and the ugly. “Family Reunion” tells of a family barbecue and of the various things that happen at such events (embarrassing, funny, serious, she’s been to a couple of reunions, I think). She sings about ex-boyfriends, striving for personal hopes and dreams, and the loneliness that everyone feels at certain points in their lives. Oh yeah, there’s subtle shots at George W. Bush too (see “My Petition).

Her ability to tell a story with all the nuances is uncanny and totally blows me away. This is R&B, sure, if you want to put a label on it, but I think that detracts from the overall quality of the album. This is excellent music, period. Her musicianship is of the highest caliber, but she doesn’t let that get in the way of her storytelling.

I find a lot of today’s pop to be bland and fake, but this disc really strikes a chord deep down inside of me. Jill Scott pours her heart and soul into this album. Do yourself a favor and check it out; you will not regret it.

[Big Wheel]

To those who have heard this one and the debut: If this rates 10 out of 10, how does the earlier album hold up?

[Noj]

If Beautifully Human is a 10 (and I'd say that's right), I'd give Who Is Jill Scott? a 7. WIJS is uneven and not nearly as listenable all the way through, but has a few tracks that make it worth hearing. My favorite track from the debut was the single "A Long Walk."