Jill Scott

On her debut, Who Is Jill Scott?, the titular Philly native pens love-themed sonnets that could get her hired as a writer for Hallmark's Mahogany line. Even so, just when you're about to pigeonhole Scott as a too-smooth sapstress, she spews lines like, "I been a lady up till now/Don't...

By Shawn Edwards

December 21, 2000

[
        {
          "name": "GPT - Billboard - Slot Inline - Content - Labeled - No Desktop",
          "component": "16971022",
          "insertPoint": "2",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "2"
        },{
          "name": "Editor Picks",
          "component": "15769925",
          "insertPoint": "4",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "1"
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "16575154",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "GPT - Rectangle 2x - Slot Auto-select - Labeled",
          "component": "15782206",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "16575154",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "GPT - Leaderboard to Tower - Slot Auto-select - Labeled",
          "component": "15782207",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        }
      ]

On her debut, Who Is Jill Scott?, the titular Philly native pens love-themed sonnets that could get her hired as a writer for Hallmark's Mahogany line. Even so, just when you're about to pigeonhole Scott as a too-smooth sapstress, she spews lines like, "I been a lady up till now/Don't know how much more I can take/Queens shouldn't swing (if you know what I mean)/But I'm 'bout ta take my earrings off/Get me some Vaseline."

Tough talk from someone who revels in dreamy imagery of "places where butterflies rest easy," but Scott is a diverse artist, in both her delivery and her subject matter. Over jazz-inflected backdrops so spiritual they're damn near gospel, Scott shifts seamlessly from spoken word to melody, occasionally engaging in jazz-divastyle scatting and crooning. This relentlessly romantic album borders on redundancy, but hearing Scott gush is far more intriguing than listening to R&B's court jesters bicker endlessly about failed relationships.

KEEP NEW TIMES FREE... Since we started New Times, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of South Florida, and we'd like to keep it that way. Your membership allows us to continue offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food, and culture with no paywalls. You can support us by joining as a member for as little as $1.