Album Review: Jill Scott - Woman

Soul mama Jill Scott returns with Woman, adding a gentle country twang to her sweet Philly soul.

String and horn sections give this album a big, confident sound. The powerhouse vocals we've come to expect feel subdued as they're subtly applied to seductively smooth vibes. Retro influences are never allowed to completely take us back in time; instead the instrumental hip hop aesthetics deployed achieve a more contemporaneous urban sound. It's when you least expect it that cuts like Coming To You unleash the funk that joyously bursts out of the stereo.