The Real Thing: Words and Sounds, Vol. 3

I finally received my copy of Jill Scott's "The Real Thing: Words and Sounds Vol. 3," and I have to say that it is the best album I have heard in the past year, with Musiq Soulchild's "Luvanmusic" coming in at a close second. This album is deep, moving, strong, building, and has the power to affect my mood in ways I didn't imagine. The album is banging and hard-hitting. Although it contains less of the spoken word that listeners are accustomed to hearing from her, Scott surprises listeners by including several smooth raps as well as maintaining the story-telling aspects for which she is known. Musical arrangements manage to fuse jazz, funk, soul, and gospel roots seamlessly, and one song jumps to the next in logical progress. The interview Scott does on the bonus CD offers explanations to some of her songs (the soundbites that were on the sampler), and the video for "My Love" shows a vulnerable side to Jill (she starts to cry during her performance) that reminds fans she's willing to bear herself in ways that others artists cover in glitz and glam. While I like EVERY song on the album, some of my favorites include: "Wanna Be Loved," "How It Make You Feel," "My Love," and "Come See Me." A great buy, and something you'll be listening to for quite some time (just like her last albums)!

I'm a Jill Scott fan who eagerly bought this disc on its release date and then proceeded to sit with the new music and let it "marinate" so to speak. I was a little disappointed in reading a few of the reviews that seem too preoccupied with commenting on the state of Jill's marriage and NOT at all on this new music. It's funny to me that music fans laud the efforts of other artists who produce music during "dark periods" yet villify others. Four artists work come to my mind instantly - Marvin Gaye's 'HERE MY DEAR' which wasn't embraced back in the day but is now regarded as one of his best works; Mary J Blige's 'MY LIFE', Vivian Green's sophomore set, 'VIVIAN' - she was also going through a divorce and a lot of reviews seemed to focus on that instead of the music and now Jill's 'THE REAL THING'. I have been listening to this disc off & on for the past few weeks and found nothing depressing about any of the tracks. I felt, like I always do in Jill's music - her heart & soul which connects to me as a listener and is the very aspect of her music that caused me to be a fan in the first place. My favorite track by far is INSOMNIA - the storytelling aspect of the song reminds me of THE WAY and I have this track on constant repeat. Other faves are: HATE ON ME, WHENEVER YOU'RE AROUND, WANNA BE LOVED, THE REAL THING, CROWN ROYAL; ALL I & COME SEE ME Overall it's another strong cohesive release from one of the few true artists in the r&b realm. I only hope that those who didn't "get it" on the first listen or those who are writing one-star reviews based on sampling the clips on this site give the entire album a real listen because I hear nothing "boring" or "bland" about it.

Ok, if u r A Real Fan of Ms.Jilly from Philly, u will not sleep on this cd! I have every cd/mixed, live and from the crate! I have seen her brilliant performances numerous times, and will forever follow her. Her lyrics, sheer poetry. She does what few women of R&B can do....Sang! I absolutely feel so relieved after playing her music. It's soothing, it disciplines, it inspires, it allows women to forgive and forget. All the things that she pens on paper, are my exact thoughts. This cd is The Real Thing. Not one song did I fast forward or skip. It's another cd you can play from Let it Be to Breathe. I did repeat Whenever You're Around, since my man George Duke was accompanying her. I saw her live singing it and her band member did his solo justice. Listen, there aren't many "sangers" left that sound better out of the studio than in. Jill is by far #1! Her range, pitch, voice modulation are incredible. Of course, I still love Laylah, Rachelle, Anita, Angie and all my old Skool ladies of R&B. This cd is Golden (love that song too!). Please add to your collection of great entertainment. Play it while you ponder over love and life! Enjoy.

As always Jill Scott has delivered a scrumptous, delightful and insightful look into her world. For me, she is the modern day Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughn, Minnie Riperton and so many other stallworths of the industry. We should remind ourselves as consumers, our relationships with artists evolve over time and in particular, my appreciation for her delivery has been more than satisfactory. I wish her and the entire Hidden Beach family much oontinued success in the future. Thanks for simply being Jill Scott. Joe Thompson, MBA

Beautifully exquisite, moving and full of heart and soul yet playful and sensual. This Woman is prolific and her very Real album of words & song is purely a gift to humankind.. she speaks her experience and we can identify and connect with every nuance. This offering is a must... and now I will seek out any of her other music ive missed to complete my collection.

Comme d'habitude, Jill Scott nous offre un album plein de force et de douceur. Elle confirme une fois de plus qu'elle est l'une des meilleures chanteuses de musique soul de l'actualité. À écouter à plusieurs reprises!

This girl has everything and absolutely everything you could dream of. I have seen Jill live and she is infectiously charismatic beyond the realms of "artist" her music and magnetism go beyond 99.9% of all others. Her voice on this album is sublime -as ever and she has given some heartfelt renditions here too given her ups and down of late. What she delivers in droves is versatility and a burning desire to hear what she does next. I cannot say enough about Jill as an artist nor her ability which transcends music and gets into "elixir of life" territory. think Sarah Vaughan meets Lizz Wright meets - hell forget it she is Jill Scott and she is beyond comparison. If you like Soul, R&B, Jazz, Easy listening or rhythm and timing personified give this disc a go -you won't look back.

Meiner Meinung nach reicht die Scheibe nicht an " Who's Jill Scott " heran, da es mir textlich und musikalisch dann doch zu schlafzimmerlastig ist. Es sind aber durchaus ein paar richtig gute Stücke drauf, die wie immer von sehr guten Musikern eingespielt worden sind. Gesanglich ist sie natürlich brilliant.

What more can I say about this artist Jill Scott , a very under rated artist who jazzy music with her calm classy vocals always hits the highest points, When people talk about Adele being one of the best soul vocalist artist this wrong, she hasn't prove anything with her cover version of other artist materials.