JILL
SCOTT
Beautifully Human:
Words & Sounds
Vol. 2
While most neo-soulsters
crank out albums
like their hip-hop
counterparts,
Jill Scott takes
a more traditional
approach to her
craft. Scott returns
with the masterful
Beautifully Human:
Words & Sounds
Vol. 2. The album
features a collection
of lush and hypnotic
songs that will
make you want
to fall in love,
live life, and
be a better person
all at the same
time. Lead single
“Golden”
is a prime example
of this. Set to
a midtempo groove
made for the dance
floor, “Golden”
is a shiny, beautifully-written
narrative about
living life to
its fullest. The
old-school R&B
ballad vibe of
“Petition”
is reminiscent
of Minnie Ripperton
or early Chaka
Khan. However,
“Bedda at
Home” is
anything but laid
back. Combining
elements of jazz,
soul, and old-school
hip-hop breakbeats,
Scott extols the
greatness of her
man with a swagger
that can only
be described as
cool. Other highlights
include “Family
Reunion”
and the socially
conscious “Rasool.”
CIARA
Goodies
From her entrance
with her first
single “Goodies,”
Ciara insists
that she’s
not a normal teenage
girl. The 18-year-old
plays hard to
get on the Lil
Jon-produced chart-topper,
assuring that
it takes more
than a hot car
and a pickup line
or two to take
her home. On her
debut album of
the same name,
Ciara shows that
while she’s
head and shoulders
above the average
teenager, she’s
still got a while
to go before she
reaches the level
of her R&B
contemporaries.
Goodies is tasty,
but mainly because
of the help Ciara
has around her.
The album is an
unabashedly production-driven
effort; whether
it’s R.
Kelly dropping
one of his slinky,
melodic backdrops
on “Next
To You,”
or mentor Jazze
Pha lacing her
with his signature
ATL funk on tracks
like “Lookin’
At You,”
the disc is packed
with a delicious
mix of slow jams
and rump shakers.
Cameo artist of
the year Ludacris
adds his southern
fried charisma
to the club banger
“Oh,”
Missy Elliot appears
on the infectious,
dance floor-ready
“1, 2 Step,”
and even T.I.
drops a verse
on the remix to
“Goodies.” |
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