Beautifully Human

Jill Scott has been a part of the Philadelphia neo-soul and R&B scene for over ten years now. She was born and raised in North Philadelphia, and she spent her college years attending Temple University (also in Philly). After losing interest in becoming a teacher, Scott began working on her music career. She has always had a beautiful voice, but for a few years she struggled to find a label to release her material. She eventually caught the eyes and ears of ?uestlove of the Roots, who invited her into the studio.

Since then, she has enjoyed success as a recording artist for Hidden Beach Recordings. She has also parlayed her recording career to a small acting career, appearing on both TV and in movies. She has also used her popularity to enhance her charity work, particularly in raising money to aid minority students in paying for their college education. All this aside, today’s entry focuses on her music career, specifically the album Beautifully Human: Words and Sounds Vol. 2. This record received strong reviews after its release.

#124 – Jill Scott, Beautifully Human: Words and Music Vol. 2 (Metascore = 86)

The album’s first official song kicks off with “I’m Not Afraid”, a song that lyrically focuses on all of the things she is as a lover to her man. She’s not afraid to take on any role in order to strengthen her relationship. My favorite line from the song is “the essence of glue/I will stick to you/through earthquakes and moods/if ever one thing was true.” The next song, “Golden” is one of the smoother neo-soul songs I have heard. “Golden” was the first single from the album and has been on several soundtracks since release here.

“The Fact Is (I Need You)” is my favorite track on the album (despite numerous strong tracks on this record). While the title obviously points to her strong woman character needing the love and support of her man, the lyrics do focus on a woman that is more than capable of holding her own in this difficult world. Her independence and strength is what makes this song the best of the set to me. This theme of a woman’s independence and strength is a recurring theme throughout the record and throughout a lot of Scott’s work.

“Cross My Mind” propelled Scott to her first Grammy. In the song Scott reminisces on an old boyfriend and trying to move on. This song also has a very smooth soul feel to it, similar to “Golden” before. The smoothness of a soul record never tires on me, and this record delivers on every song. The songs combine elements classic to soul – blues, R&B, and jazz – that make this a very enjoyable record sonically.

Overall I was very impressed with this record. Scott gives a passionate performance throughout the record. The themes throughout the record are all presented interestingly by Scott, whose delivery also provides the strength to the record. I would recommend this record to anyone interested in a cool R&B record to take in.