Album Review: Woman, Jill Scott (Blues Babe Records, July 2015)
Jill Scott broke into mainstream urban music in 2000 with her debut, Who is Jill Scott? – Words and Sounds Vol. 1 (Hidden Beach). It was an instant classic. In some ways, it was the third act to a play that started with Erykah Badu’s Baduizm (Universal, 1997), lead into Lauryn Hill’s The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (Ruffhouse Records, 1998), and culminated with the arrival of Jill Scott.
Scott released a handful of original albums since then as well as a variety of collaborations, reworks, and singles. Woman (Blues Babe Records, 2015) is her first original album since 2011 and, like her debut, has a bravado that makes a splash on today’s R&B/Soul scene.
Woman has tracks that range from classic soul like “You Don’t Know” and “Coming to You” to the electronically infused “Lighthouse” and “Beautiful Love.” What’s more is the return of her free spirit vibe in songs like “Prepared” and the enchanting “Jahraymecofasola.”
Fifteen years on from Who is Jill Scott, we are reminded of just that. Jill Scott is an event.
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