2000 Rewind: Remembering Jill Scott’s Who Is Jill Scott?: Words and Sounds Vol. 1

Y’all ready to relive Y2K? All year long the Rewind column will revisit the year 2000, celebrating great releases that will mark 25 years in 2025. I’ll be joined by a host of old friends as we look back at a new millennium of music.

Twenty-five years ago today, Jilly from Philly took the world of R&B by storm. Emerging as the new face of the neo-soul movement, her debut record gave R&B fans a new sound, and a generation of fans –women especially – new inspiration. Ronald Grant is back in the house to talk about Jill Scott’s Who Is Jill Scott?: Words and Sounds Vol. 1. This album blazed a new path for R&B.

Let’s go! Share your earliest memories of Who Is Jill Scott?: Words and Sounds Vol. 1

Ron: Who Is Jill Scott? dropped a little over a month before I left home for freshman year of college. When I got there, I eventually developed my own circle of friends in my dorm. There was a girl named LaShonda that lived there, and neither of us had a car, so we would sometimes try to hitch a ride with anyone with a whip to Kroger and Target. Either that, or we’d walk there. Once we found out that we were both really into music, all she could talk about was going up to Target to buy the new Jill Scott CD. And trust me when I say I totally don’t mean this as a pun, I just remember thinking, “who in the hell is Jill Scott?” But after seeing the video for “Gettin’ In the Way” and being impressed by Jill’s voice, me and LaShonda eventually did bum a ride to Target, and each copped a copy of the album. I wasn’t even an R&B or neo-soul dude beyond radio singles and music videos (the only R&B or neo-soul album I’d purchased to that point was D’Angelo’s Voodoo), but once Jill’s brand of new millennium Philly soul smacked me in the mouth, I had to submit. To this day, I consider Who Is Jill Scott? a certified No Skips album.

Edd: This might surprise some of y’all – although I’m practically known as R&Bowser on these apps these days, I wasn’t heavily into the neo-soul scene in 2000. There were exceptions – I was and forever will be a Erykah Badu stan and D’Angelo’s Brown Sugar never left rotation – but we welcomed a lot of new faces in the new millennium and … I kinda ignored on them.  Don’t get me wrong, I was very familiar with Jill Scott’s singles. I worked on my college campus’ newspaper at the time and I had a friend who played “Gettin’ In The Way” and “A Long Walk” nearly daily. I thought they were cool but this was the year 2000 and though mainstream R&B was leaning a little too pop-ish at times, there were still many other projects distracting me from embracing new acts like Jilly and Musiq Soulchild. I didn’t hear this album in full until probably a half-decade later, after I met my future wife who, like every Black woman writer on the planet, was obsessed with Jill’s poetic approach to her craft. I finally heard the album and realized I slept on a classic. The writing was phenomenal, the vocal performances were so heartfelt and pure – I was asleep in 2000 but I was wide awake now.

What’s your top song and why?

Ron: “He Loves Me (Lyzel in E-Flat)”

From the very first piano chord, you know you’re in for something special. “He Loves Me…” is almost like a meditation, for Jill AND for the listener. Everything Jill does on the song is inviting, sensual, seductive and masterful. Especially the way she rides the wave of the musical chorus like it’s the most natural thing in the world to her. True, she’s singing about her appreciation for the love her man shows her constantly, but “He Loves Me…” is also an exercise in Jill showing off her versatility and vocal superiority. She reaches heights that a novice listener probably wouldn’t expect of her because she knows that her vocal ability is matched by few, so it’s almost as if it’s both a meditation and a flex. The only thing the listener can do is ride the wave as Jilly goes all in and pens a vocal love letter that is a high point on Who Is Jill Scott?.

Edd: “The Way”

I feel you Ron, that top spot is close, but I’ve gotta go with “The Way.” In a genre that was obsessed with flash and excess – the same genre that today is obsessed with revenge and clapbacks – it’s so refreshing to hear this tale of love at its most simple and intimate levels. Daydreaming about her man while she walks out of the door to start her day, blowing off her friends for a rendezvous with her boo, it’s authenticity is what makes it so endearing and so real.  Plus, GRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIITS!

Let’s talk best video for this project.

Ron: “A Long Walk”

I’ve always loved Jill’s take on the classic R&B and hip-hop black & white video (think: “Passin’ Me By,” “Electric Relaxation,” and “Get On Up”). The gradual introduction of vibrant, bursting color over the course of the video is a great representation of young, blossoming love when you’re in a new relationship and you’re just starting to figure each other out, while still basking in the honeymoon phase. There’s a warmth and an innocence to it that makes the video playful and timeless. “A Long Walk” is probably how everyone feels when they have that first honest adult relationship: the world is full of color and wonder, you’re walking across billowing clouds of joy and you feel like nothing will ever get in the way of the love you’ve found.

Edd: “A Long Walk”

I absolutely planned to go with “Getting in the Way” for this spot – it’s certainly the most entertaining video –  but I think Ron convinced me. “A Long Walk” is so peaceful and romantic. And the first-person view was a brilliant touch. It feels like Jill is in love with US, and her sweetness makes the experience so wholesome. It’s simple, effective storytelling that encourages the listener to join Jilly on her romantic stroll. It’s a very difference experience from Vaseline Fight 2000.

Best production goes to…

Ron: “Honey Molasses”

There’s a simplicity found on “Honey Molasses” that is weaved throughout all of Who Is Jill Scott?. But here, the challenge is to match the beat and the drums with Jill’s poetry to convey a sense of unease, longing and uncertainty. Part of what makes “Honey Molasses” so such a stellar production is the fact that Jill had to pull a few things out of her acting bag, and this was before we knew she could even act! True, it’s more like an interlude than it is a song, but with the soulful wails and the smooth yet eerie piano in the background, it’s one of those moments on the album that helps to bridge the gaps between the youthful, smitten Jill, the scorned, untrusting Jill and the vulnerable, all-cards-on-the-table Jill. And we seem to get a glimpse of all three Jills on this superb moment.

Edd: “The Way”

Another tough one, but the live instrumentation of “The Way” moves me like nothing else on the project. It’s soothing and understated – nothing like the frantic production of Darkchild or the Space Invaders vibes The Neptunes were preparing to unleash upon the world. It’s not flashy but remains thrilling.

What’s the most underrated track?

Ron: “Brotha”

Just as there are a few songs on this album that could’ve been singles, I think there are a few that stand in the shadows of so many classic singles yet still hold their own. I’ll point to “Brotha” as a great example. A mellow yet upbeat slice of old school jazzy R&B, I like the fact that Jill sought out to be inspirational and encouraging here. It’s also really cool and a little ironic that the sample comes from “Get Out My Life Woman” by legendary jazz singer Joe Williams. To me, Jill has always been one of the best at reaching back to the music of the past to inform the direction of her art and that of others, whether she’s inspired by big band jazz, gospel or coffee house poetry. “Brotha” might not be considered a standout by many, but it’s definitely a sleeper in my book.

Edd: “Slowly Surely”

It’s probably safe to call “Slowly Surely” a fan favorite but since it lacks the mainstream awareness of other tracks here, I think it should count as most underrated. The thumping production is so commanding – the perfect stage for Jill to demand better from her relationship as she pledges to walk away from pain. “Confusing love, misusing love, abusing love” – it plays out like a manifesto, her public vow to demand more. Jill’s fans know how powerful this song is but the world at large still needs to catch up.

Which song should have been a single?

Ron: “It’s Love”

For me, the strength of an album comes, in part, from the number of B-sides that could be singles. And Who Is Jill Scott? has a few of them, because I think “Do You Remember” and “Slowly Surely” would’ve both served as great final singles from the album. But my vote officially goes to “It’s Love” because of the sheer amount of upbeat, East Coast go-go energy that it brings. It makes me wonder if “It’s Love” is one of those songs that came about either just from some old notes or performances Jill had done in the past, or just by kind of messing around in a studio jam session. Either way, “It’s Love” would’ve been a great way to keep the momentum for Who Is Jill Scott? going after its initial heat and attention for the album started to wear off.

Edd: “Watching Me”

This project did a great job selecting singles so it’s hard to pick another standout. I believe her best bet may have been “Watching Me,” which has an edgier, more hip-hop laden sound that her previous singles and may have done well on urban stations. It leans much more into the spoken world realm than her other singles but, hey, that wouldn’t be a dealbreaker for Floetry, who would base their whole sound around that concept a couple of years later. It’s different, it’s funky, it could have been a hit.

Jill’s vocals are show-stopping. Which song featured the best vocal performance?

Ron: “He Loves Me (Lyzel in E-Flat)”

I really can’t say enough about how Jill takes this song and completely owns it. Everything about “He Loves Me…” is a testament to the gifted artist Jill is, but the vocal delivery is something to behold on its own. She switches styles and cadences on this song like an emcee, starting out with a more straightforward R&B approach, then delving into an operatic aria that flows like a river, and then takes the second verse up a few notches with improvisations and runs that are almost otherworldly. Jill is always at her best when she’s allowed to let loose and try something that you wouldn’t expect of her, and “He Loves Me…” proves that she’s a true master of her craft and her instrument.

Edd: “He Loves Me (Lyzel in E-Flat)”

Yes, “He Loves Me” is a masterclass in vocal control and passion. Whenever I see these “top vocalist” lists circulating on social media, it shows me that most fans are won over by vocal power. And that’s cool, but I’m more impressed by technique, how a vocalist uses cadence and ebbs and flows vocals alongside production. It’s Jill’s precision that makes “He Loves Me” so captivating. And as odd as it may sound, I was always so impressed by Jill’s enunciation. The way she says “intelligence” sounds so, well, intelligent. A great vocalist can take you on a journey, and Jill does it better than few others.

The neo-soul movement was kicking into full swing in this era. Why was this album so important to that movement?

Ron: As artistically adventurous and against-the-grain as it was, the neo-soul movement still needed some new blood. That’s exactly what Jill and her debut provided in 2000. The keys that make Who Is Jill Scott? a classic album and such a vital album to the neo-soul period in R&B are Jill’s uncanny ability as a writer and performer to effortlessly meld R&B, jazz, poetry and hip-hop, a legendary team of producers and collaborators, her enormous yet soothing, sensual, buttery voice, material that is highly relatable, personable and ageless, and timing. Jill’s debut is wedged perfectly in between two vital Neo-soul eras: a sort of golden age in the mid to late 90s with artists and albums like D’Angelo’s Brown Sugar, Erykah Badu’s Baduizm and Maxwell’s Maxwell’s Urban Hang Suite, and the next wave at the beginning of the 2000s with Musiq Soulchild, Bilal, Amel Larrieux and Dwele, among others. I think Jill shocked a lot of us (except for the Philly folks who clearly already knew) by dropping a disc that was and still is a flawless blend of soul, sensuality, passion, love and longing.

Edd: I mentioned the earlier about how Erykah and D’Angelo (along with Maxwell) laid the foundation for the new millennium’s neo-explosion. But Who Is Jill Scott carved its own path. Clearly it was a spiritual successor to those efforts, but the way jazz and spoken word were so heavily incorporated made it stand out on its own. Essentially, Jill told listeners – women, especially – that there was a new way to tell your story. Jill was just as sexy as the other headliners in 2000, but her sexuality never felt like a performance, it felt more grounded, more real. It was R&B for a new generation of maturing women – women who knew what they wanted out of love and life and weren’t compromising who they were to achieve it.

Is Who Is Jill Scott her best album?

Ron: Yup, no question. Not only is this Jill’s best album and one of the pillar albums of the neo-soul movement, but it’s easily one of the greatest debuts of all time, regardless of genre. Listening to Who Is Jill Scott?, you can tell it’s organically comprised of years and years of Open Mic nights, scribbling lyrics and poems in notepads and stray scraps of paper, being part of artist communities, constantly traveling and performing wherever possible and simply trying to get the right people to hear the music and see the vision. Jill had been working towards this moment for her entire life, and you feel her passion in every line, every quote and every voice inflection. She’s had other very good albums, but Who Is Jill Scott? – Words and Sounds, Vol. 1 is her greatest and most monumental moment because she went into it knowing exactly who she was and how she wanted to present herself to the world. I think It was beginning to get more rare to get an album of this quality at the beginning of the 2000s, and Jill was playing no games in delivering it to us.

Edd: There’s no doubt. Jill would go on to give us many great albums – there are no duds on her resume. But as strong as Beautifully Human, The Real Thing and others are, none capture that magic that Who Is Jill Scott possesses. Like many things in life, timing is everything. As R&B was ready to transition into a new phase, it was Jill’s warmth and realness that redirected its path. It was the right album at the right time, both for the genre and for Jill’s career.

Who did it best, Ron or Edd? Let us know below and share your memories of Jill’s debut.