 Jill Scott is changing the face of women around the world!
She sings neo-soul and neo-jazz, but the truth is, she’s got fluff enough to give a man all the stuff, “Whatever you need ... fish and grits ... whatever, whatever, baby,” according to her song.
She’s Beautifully Human, and those who attended the Baileys Get Together concert inside Spirits night club at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino near Hollywood know this.
That’s why they lined up outside the club for her show on Friday, Oct. 26.
The 2007 Baileys Get Together with Jill Scott kicked off in Houston on Oct. 23 before coming to the Hard Rock.
The next stop was Atlanta on Oct. 29; followed by Charlotte, N.C. on Nov. 1; Baltimore on Nov. 4 and Philadelphia, Scott’s home town, on Nov. 5.
At each concert tour stop, consumers age 21 and older get a chance to enjoy the smooth sounds of the DJ, then have their picture taken with friends, before an evening performance by Jill Scott.
A 10-piece band featuring its own horn section adds a powerful backup to Scott’s vocals.
Janice Boursiquot, a Broward community activist who attended the Hard Rock show, said, “I was really surprised how many men were in the audience. One woman standing by me knew all the lyrics to every one of Jill’s songs.”
Fort Lauderdale City Commissioner Carlton Moore, who attended the Hard Rock show, said on the following day, “Jill’s show, last night, was a blast!”
Aside from the persona of a strong-willed, well-built black woman, Scott has vocals that are superb, even “Golden,” like the name of her hit song.
She had an operatic moment that took us by surprise. At the meet and greet after the show, I asked her with whom she studied opera.
“No one,” she said, “I listen to Kathleen Battle.”
If she keeps this up, she’ll cross over to the Metropolitan Opera!
She’s already taken over the silver screen as Sheila in Tyler Perry’s latest film, Why Did I Get Married? featuring Scott’s soundtrack, The Real Thing.
Onstage, she has formidable presence, “Deeper, sweeter, higher, fire!”
She has no use for those who “Hate on Me. I do me,” she contends. “I’m not afraid to be open wide.”
She keeps in mind the biblical scripture, “No weapon formed against me shall prosper.”
Early on, “I realized that ... people … are gonna be haters. That never affected me,” she says, “until I started noticing it, seeing that …family, friends… were angry to see me revealing my blessings, wishing they were me. I had to let go of some people in my life because of that. It’s been healing for me to say I’m still gonna be me, to say … ‘go right ahead, whatever you say won’t change my destiny.’ We spend too much time ‘hating’ the hater. If I’m meant to shine and glow, I will.”
She does glow, really! She’s a powerhouse, a brick house, all in one, who is, according to her, “taking my own freedom, wherever I choose to go. Living my life like it’s golden, golden.”
Scott really got my attention when she sang the blues. She reached back to her roots in North Philadelphia, where the music was, is and will always be.
Philly is the city where John Coltrane, Lee Morgan, Patti LaBelle, Teddy Pendergrass and Gamble and Huff made their music first, and Scott follows the tradition, busting loose with a style that will not be denied.
Born April 4, 1972, Scott has the same impact of another April-born diva, Billie Holiday (April 7, 1915), who penned the lyrics to God Bless The Child. Scott’s own lyrics echo Holiday’s message, and she’s here for the long haul.
Immediately after the concert, Scott joined club patrons on the dance floor, shaking her booty with them for almost an hour. I stood in the V.I.P. section, watching her as she started the Electric Slide.
In less than two minutes, the entire floor of dancers was sliding in unison. It was phenomenal!
Baileys Irish Cream Liqueur, which touts itself as the No.1-selling cream liqueur in the world, has partnered with the multi-platinum selling, Grammy Award-winning artist for a series of fall tour dates.
This woman is a leader, a force, and she’s got many fans.
I asked Scott what comes after Perry’s film. She said, "The #1 Ladies Detective Agency, a movie directed by Oscar Winner Anthony Mingella,” who also directed Cold Mountain (2003) and The English Patient (1997), for which he won best director.
In 1998, Scott did poetry sessions at Philadelphia coffeehouses. In 2000, she toured with the Canadian cast of the musical Rent and with the rap band The Roots, going almost non-stop for a year.
By 2001, she was a Grammy winner, as best new artist, for Who Is Jill Scott? Words & Sounds Vol. 1. Also, she was nominated for a Grammy for R&B album and R&B female vocal for her song, Gettin' in the Way.
This year, Jill Scott’s 10th Grammy nomination was for her collaboration with legends George Benson and Al Jarreau, God Bless The Child on Hidden Beach/Universal Records released in January, 2007.
Other awards Scott has won are Soul Train, NAACP Image Awards and Brit Awards.
Christine Williams, a beautiful, ebony, full-figured sister standing next to me by the stage, before the concert, said, “I love her. She’s a wonderful artist.”
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Photo by Sasha Metellus. Jill Scott
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