Okay, so she's a poet who has a record out. Fine, I said the "P" word. Usually when poets make records, they suck like NAFTA; but this is not the case here. In fact, Who Is Jill Scott? will be on my top ten of 2000 list with a big exclamation point. Why? Well, I think there are three moments on this album that make it really great. I'm going to try to describe them so well that you will want to go out and buy the damned thing.
Moment #1: In the absolutely tough "Gettin' in the Way," Ms. Jill is reading some ho the riot act for trying to sniff all up to her man. After dismissing this hooch and warning her about some of the bad things that are going to happen to her ("I'm 'bout to take my earrings off/Get me some Vaseline" really rings true to anyone who's ever seen women throw down), the following bridge makes the whole song: "I'm 'bout to go off in your face girl/You betta chill/You betta back down/Before you get smacked down/You betta chill." This is not chanted in any sort of gangsta pose, or really with any bitterness - it's just fair warning to the enemy that she's gonna catch an eye jammy or seven. Matter of fact, facts of life, life goes on.
Moment #2: "A Long Walk" is one of the sexiest songs to be released this year, because it's all about the meeting of true minds. Jill finds a dude who might be a little dangerous and ruffneck around the edges, but he's a good guy and hot as a damn boiler room, so she starts testing him out on what they might do on a date, long walk around the park, etc. Cute premise. But again, the bridge sends the track into another stratosphere, so I'll quote from her lyrical flow, delivered like a melodic rap r&b diva: "Or maybe we can see a movie or maybe we can see a play on Saturday or maybe we can roll a tree and feel the breeze and listen to a symphony or maybe chill and just be..." I mean, come on, the girl's got flow, and did I mention her voice is all tight and interesting?
Moment #3: The actual hidden track (as opposed to the hidden track they tell you about) is a hard-edged remix of a song already featured on the album, "Love Rain." In its original incarnation, it's kind of a self-pitying spoken-word piece on the following theme: "Everything was fine until I told him I loved him, which freaked him out and now nothing's the same, therefore guys are dogs." A noble theme, and all-too-believable. But then, as the second half of track 44, "Love Rain" turns into more of a song. Suddenly the song's all dance-friendly with bigger beats and more attitude, and Mos Def stops by to drop a brief rhyme from the guy's point of view, with the general theme "Hey, I was into you too until you went and made it all complicated, so can we go back to that thing we used to have?" A noble theme, and all-too-believable. Complexity, darlings - she's got depth and perspective, as well as buddies like Mos Def dropping by.
These three moments are more than enough to make up for the occasional yeesh moments (spoken word that goes nowhere, too many samey beats from the same production crew, very slow tempos). They're more than enough for me to jump on the Jill Scott bandwagon. And they're more than enough reason that you will want to buy this CD now before it's a collectors' item.
If you like Jill Scott, check out:
The Roots The Roots Come Alive
The Roots Things Fall Apart
DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince And in This Corner...
D'Angelo Voodoo
Erykah Badu Baduizm
Fiona Apple When the Pawn...
Common Like Water for Chocolate
Angie Stone Black Diamond
