2 amazon.com reviewers, "Tony_Tone" and "dOc" were shocked that I had never heard of Jill Scott and they instructed me to make sure that I go to the nearest music store to pick up her debut CD which was Who Is Jill Scott? Words and Sounds, Vol. 1. They both told me that I would like the CD and I wouldn't skip a track at all. I am glad that I followed their advice because Jill's debut was one of the best CDs that I had heard in a long time. My favorite tracks ended up being "Do You Remember", "Slowly Surely", "The Way", "A Long Walk" and "Love Rain". I was impressed with the way Jill mixed in her singing with spoken word tracks and I was also impressed by the production. 1 year later, in 2001, Jill releasedExperience: Jill Scott. "Experience" was a 2 CD set of songs. Disc 1 was a Live CD which featured 9 tracks that were on her debut CD and Disc 2 contained 6 unreleased studio tracks. The best of them being "Gotta Get Up" and "Sweet Justice". Jill released her 2nd studio album Beautifully Human: Words and Sounds, Vol. 2 in 2004. My favorite tracks ended up being "The Fact Is (I Need You)", "Spring Summer Feeling", "Cross My Mind", "Whatever", and "Family Reunion". "Beautifully Human" was a nice follow up to "Who Is Jill Scott?" but her 1st CD was better. Earlier this year, Jill Scott released Collaborations which contained tracks that Jill had with other artists such as Common, Lupe Fiasco, The Isley Brothers, Sergio Mendes, Kirk Franklin, and a track called "Slide" that was featured on Jeff Bradshaw's Bone Deep.

After a divorce and what many people will see as a new attitude, Jill Scott returns with "The Real Thing: Words & Sounds Volume 3". "Let It Be" gets things off to a nice start as Jill is simply stating it doesn't matter what kind of music that you want to perform, just make it's something that can be listened to for years to come and not something that is just here for the moment and gone tomorrow. "The Real Thing" and the 1st single, "Hate On Me" will be a change of pace for the majority of Jill Scott's fans. They won't be your favorite tracks on this CD but to me they are still worth checking out. "Come See Me" is Jill at a place where I have never heard her before. She did "Show Me" on "Who Is Jill Scott?" but Jill clearly wants to leave the show behind this time and wants to do more telling this time around. Passion and desire is her theme and she won't be denied of either. "Crown Royal" continues where "Come See Me" left off from as Jill, in only a way she can, describes how the man who is giving her good lovin' tastes like crown royal on ice. "Come See Me" and "Crown Royal" will be intsant favorites once you hear the tracks a couple of times. "Epiphany" is produced by Scott Storch, who is best known for the track that he produced for The Terror Squad, "Lean Back". However, lately I have noticed his name on r&b CDs as well such as Floetry's "Flo'Ology" CD and Keyshia Cole's "Just Like You". "Epiphany" gives Jill a platform where she can continue "Come See Me" and "Crown Royal" but in a spoken word format. This is another nice track.

With it being common knowledge that Jill Scott is newly divorced, you knew that she would throw in some tracks to explain to her fans how she was feeling during this situation before and after. "My Love" is the 1st track that covers this territory as Jill is asking why would he settle for less when he shoud know that he was actually dealing with the real thing when he was with her. She's in disbelief because the word is he is getting remarried and Jill is able to tell him what he will be missing in the longrun. "Insomnia" is a nice midtempo track that has Jill in a situation where she is waiting for her then husband to come home and she isn't able to sleep because she is waiting for him. Jill is explaining how lonely she is at the moment and just wants him to come home. "How It Make You Feel" has Jill sending a message not just to Lyzel but to all men in general. She wants men to realize what they would be faced with if all the good women were gone and to see what we would have to deal with. "Only You" is a mellow track that has Jill in a place where she is fed up with things that have been occuring in the relationship. Deep down it seems that if there was some cooperation involved from the other party that she would think about changing her mind about leaving but that would require getting all of him back for her to do so. "Only You" seems simple but it's a deep track. "Whenever You're Around" quickly changes the mood because it's a nice feel good track. Jill speaks about a friend that has been in her life that has been making her feel good about herself but she is "trying" to make sure that things stay on a platonic level. Most people will get a kick out of "Celibacy Blues". Jill is describing a moment that must have occurred in her marriage where she went a long period of time without any "relations" from her husband. She even goes as far as saying that he ain't scratching "it" right and that she is using new batteries every night. I can honestly say that I never thought that I would hear anything like that on a Jill Scott CD. You'll have no problem figuring out what Jill wants on "All I". If you need any further clarification then Jill will definitely be explaining it to you during the course of the track. The track is in good taste but I guess after you deal with "Celibacy Blues" then you deserve the good lovin' that Jill is referring to in "All I". After everything she went through in her marriage she just wants to make up for some lost time on "Wanna Be Loved". The song should be retitled because it seems as if she just wants to have the good lovin' that she had missed out on. It's not really a song about love. "Breathe" closes things out on a good note as Jill is able to vent and get some things off her chest. She actually starts the track rapping and ends things with her lovely voice. The track is really an outro for people who didn't purchase the deluxe version of the CD.

If you purchased the deluxe version of "The Real Thing", then Track 16 is "Imagination" and ends with the same "Crown Royal" track that is Track 5 on the regular disc. "Imagination" is a nice slow jam that should have been included with the other tracks. She is singing about the way that a particular man is making her feel and she is clearly satisfied with the things that they are doing. "Rightness" features Mike Phillips and it is a nice feel good uptempo track. Jill is singing about how she gets her inspiration to right the songs that she does and Andre & Vidal produce a nice track.

Now is "The Real Thing" better than "Who Is Jill Scott?" No, it isn't. However, "The Real Thing" can be listened to in its entirety and you will be able to feel where Jill has been in the past 3 years since "Beautifully Human". Jill Scott has put together a well rounded CD and I am sure if you liked "Who Is Jill Scott?", "Beautifully Human", "Experience" and"Collaborations" that you will consider this CD "The Real Thing".

James' Top 6

1) Come See Me
2) Whenever You're Around
3) How It Make You Feel
4) All I
5) Crown Royal (Would be higher if the song was longer)
6) Imagination (Bonus Track)

Honorable Mention:

My Love
Epiphany
Insomnia
Only U
Rightness (Bonus Track)
Celibacy Blues