After attaining possibly her most high profile status ever via a leading acting role in HBO's 'The No.1 Ladies Detective Agency' it's been a relief to find that Soul music hadn't lost one of it's greatest female voices to the world of TV and film. Far from it as it's turned out, in so many ways Jill has seriously laid her soul bare on this incredible comeback record. In fact details of a relationship lived between records (leading to the birth of a child) are dished up across this album in raw detail with wit, venom and a raw intensity. If the love expressed for her child in opening track 'Blessed' comes over a little syrupy it at least also sounds 100% sincere. The positive attitude pours out of every groove, there's no self pity here and even a tune like 'Quick', basically an expression of regret at the brevity of the affair that gave her a son, has a knowing wink in its eye. With human beatbox Doug E. Fresh backing up on 'All Cried Out Redux' Scott brilliantly recalls the fun and innocence of the early Rap days. Best of all is 'Shame', a funky tune so familiarly infectious you keep thinking "it must be an old Northern Soul track", "it's gotta be an old Disco classic". This isn't 'old school' in the sense that it's going for a conscious vintage retro vibe; it's more 'old skool' because it sounds totally now but, as this lady's got so much class, it instantly sounds like it belongs in the upper league of Souls back pages. It's been a year in which Beyonce has crowned herself 'Soul Queen' thanks to some well chosen high profile shows and an actually not all that bad, more adult orientated record. For us though, nothing has quite hit the diva spot as indelibly as this versatile odyssey by Jill Scott, a real undervalued album that delivers on every single track.
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