Album Review: Jill Scott Delivers An Outstanding Album “Woman”

The beautiful and incredibly talented songstress Jill Scott, is back with her brand new album titled "Woman" which is another impressive body of woman that follows up her fourth album "The Light of Sun". Her stunning vocals definitely provide some worthy listening material and her writing cuts straight to the heart and allows the listeners to feel her soul.

 "I always executive produce my records. I chose Aaron Pearce and Andre Harris because they have their finger on the pulse of one definitely cultural country and pop music, and the other on authentic soul music. I wanted to mix those things together, because it's really just one soul. And I love the story-telling in country music, and I love the story-telling in soul music. I think that for a while I was missing that. So I incorporated those two things as well as hip hop from David Banner and 9th Wonder."


 "This record was actually more of a challenge. One, because I wanted to make a stew. I wanted to blend things together, I wanted to find the music that strikes a bell in me, I wanted story-telling music. And I wanted the story to be clear. So whether you heard the music or you heard the lyrics, you got a feeling. And creating feelings is a challenge. So it took me some time to write this one. And when I looked at it all, it's summed up as 'Woman.' Fallible, awesome, victorious, sensitive, honest."

 We get some of her spoken word on opening track "Wild Cookie" which features a retro production that allows her to display her poet roots before kicking it all off with "Prepared" which is a piano driven number with a jazz elements within the production, which creates a great foundation for her to lay down some solid vocals as she sings about getting herself together she by reflecting on her past actions and surrounding herself with individuals who represent real love because she is open to love again, "I`ve been enjoying people who love each other,husband and wife, sister and brother, father and mother.  I let the queen inside, I let her shine, I`ve been listening to God more, I`ve been feeling my joy."

 "Run Run Run" is thumping retro soulful number layered with claps, drums and horns, it finds Scott channeling Tina Turner as she singing about being always on the run, grinding hard to get things done and putting love to side while she does her thing but will run back to it once she done doing what she needs to do. 

 She follows it up with "Can't Wait", which is a 70`s inspired number that sees her singing about being boss lady, who looks for comfort in the arms of her man after having a long and tiring week at work: "I`ve been going through some things, feeling all kind of hectic in my space, we are all running the same race but in different pace, staring monsters in their face, you should be so proud. Money made bills to be paid just like each and every body, but I need you baby, when I get next to you, ain`t nobody gonna be there but me and you. Can`t wait to be loved by you. "  

 "Lighthouse" is a smooth number with a spacey production that finds her singing so poetically about being a protective shelter for her man when he is down and out "Life is pain and it can hurt, but I know it will get better because you can do worse. Honey whatever trouble is deep I can tell by your eyes, they are heavy to me. I`m your shelter, you`re safe from harm. Tornado, lighting, hurricane can`t get by me, come under my roof. Feel low energy, let it go, lay your burdens down. " 

 On the second half of the song she delivers a very emotional painful piece about being so deeply in love with her man but he rather go out in the streets and fool around with random women, when his main one is holding him down at home "I`m sitting here contemplating, see I`m in love with a man who loves me for me, he do anything easily for me, his loves knows no boundaries but he needs to sometimes to write with a different pen on a different paper..."

 "Fool's Gold" is a mellow number that is very reminiscent of mid-'90s hip hop and R&B, she laces up the track with her jazz-flecked vocals as she sings about falling in love with a wrong man, rather than dwell in it all she looks back at her mistakes and is thankful that she learned from that situation: "Silly me my dear for thinking that you'd stay . Gave you my heart and then you ran away, either I'm stupid, I'm foolish, or you're playing me but it seems we were never really meant to be. So I thought I would try something new, I wanted to find out if I could live happy without you. And it turned out I wasn't living at all..."

"Willing (Interlude)" is a sultry little number that talks about someone who expects alot from a relationship yet they fail to deliver the same goods, "You want something you`re not willing to be, expecting me to be loyal, expecting to me faithful."

 "Closure" is a funky and soulful mid-tempo number sees her serving up some sweet revenge on her ex-beau, by literally giving him the best make-up sex he will ever have,  which led to him thinking that they were back together but she let him know the deal with the quickness by  kicking his ass out the back door in the morning. "Don’t be expecting no breakfast in the morning, you got all you gonna get, this is it, this is closure". 

 "You Don't Know" is a emotional, soulful and jazz-drenched song finds Scott singing her heart out as she sings about  giving up on love after a painful experience with it: "Did you ever know what it is to be hurt, did you ever feel like dirt. Did you ever give up on your pride just to have him by your side, well if you don’t know what I am talking about you don’t know nothing....about love."


 "Pause (Interlude)" sees Scott having a meltdown and she shuts herself from the whole world, not answering calls ect, she taking this time to reconnecting with herself and leans on God to help her through as she gets on her knees and confesses that she is slipping.   

 "Cruisin" is a laid back breezy number, which is talks about a very relatable topic to me about taking your time with love, because you`ve been hurt before and this time you want to know that this love is worthy of you "You say you wanna love me, cause that`s what I need but I`m not sure if that`s what you`re here for. You say I can trust you and I want to believe, I hear your words but my heart needs to see, I can see myself waking up in the morning with someone else but I can`t tell if it`s real."

 "Say Thank You" is one of the biggest flaws on this album, while it serves a great message about declaration of self-worth, the heavy rock influenced production overshadows her vocals making it all sound too distorted and disjointed.

  She follows it up with "Back Together" is a soulful piano-string driven number that finds her singing about being broken in a millions pieces by a relationship that went sour then she found someone who`s love was strong enough to put her back together again and bring out the best in her "Going through heartache, you know I think I lost my mind for a time and couldn`t get better no matter how much I tired, then I looked into your eyes and everything felt like it could be alright, you went and put me back together again"

 "Coming To You" a vibrate number full of sass and soul and alot of energy that balances out the retro production "Some people don’t understand how music can build up a man." "Jahraymecofasola" is such a beautifully inspiring number that talks about a wonderful affirmation of affection: "People look up on me and they think I am a star, but it`s because of the love you give to me, it made me who I are. It sounds like Jahraymecofasola...."

 She closes the highly impressive album with a retro soul song "Beautiful Love" which sees her teaming up with singer BJ the Chicago Kid, together beautifully harmonized as they celebrate the essence of love. 

  Rating: 7.5/10

 "Woman" is a perfect reflection of that, Jill boldly expressed so many emotionally raw layers of what makes the woman who she is, allowing everyone to understand and relate to her journey so far. 

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