| Jill Scott - Who is Jill Scott? Words and Sounds, Vol. 1 |
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| Music Disc Reviews Audio CD | ||||||||||||||||||
| Written by Jerry Del Colliano | ||||||||||||||||||
| Wednesday, 03 January 2001 | ||||||||||||||||||
Who is Jill Scott, you ask? Other than being a stunning new hip-hop artist from North Philadelphia, Jill was also nominated for Best New Artist at the 2001 Grammys. Don’t feel badly if you haven’t heard of her yet - trust me, you will very soon. Scott’s sultry, hip-hop grooves are downright tasty, reminiscent of a female version of Maxwell. Her vocals are passionate and palpable, calling on a very poetic lyrical repertoire and poured over a tasteful jazz-influenced, sexed-up musical bed. Luckily for us, Scott avoids common pitfalls of the hip-hop genre, such as repeating "yo, yo, yo" in each and every song like Lauryn Hill of The Fugees. The musical accompaniment of the album Who is Jill Scott? is very jazzy, which complements the poetic lyrical verses. It is clear that Scott, while not as distinctive in vocal style as fellow rising star Macy Gray, is in fact a more talented singer technically. The songs on Who is Jill Scott? are well-crafted compositions that fit well together on the record. Each tune has real musical elements and instruments that make these R&B tracks sound far less cookie cutter and give the record much more staying power. "Do You Remember" could become a new favorite jam for auditioning your high-performance audio system. Scott’s voice is beautifully recorded, delicately dancing on top of a deeply strolling bassline. The high hat clicks are crystal clear and accentuate the loving lyrics. "Love Rain" is the most Fugees-sounding tune of the record. Scott carries off a rap vocal style better than the aforementioned hip-hop super group, but Who is Jill Scott? goes to even higher musical territory than this tune does, although "Love Rain" might be the most friendly tune for radio airplay. "One is The Magic Number" features mariachi-like horns and an ethereal piano line, paired with a great hook to make a song of personal strength with enough musical appeal for you to love the record. Jill Scott deserves major props for putting out a sexy, sultry record of love, politics and Philly style that stays positive and is musically compelling. Who is Jill Scott? never sounds prepackaged and rarely gets stale. Even if you don’t like rap and can’t think of a hip-hop record that you couldn’t live without, you should consider Who is Jill Scott? for your collection. The audio quality and production values are very high in a genre not known for excellence. The performance is feel-good and pushes the hip-hop category to new levels. Like this article? Bookmark and share with any of the sites below.        |
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