10. Jill ScottWho Is Jill Scott?
I love Jill Scott. Her voice, her lyrical prowess, the funk… it’s just crazy groovy. I was a real R&B chick growing up, and this is easily one of the best records that I got into around that time. She’s an incredible singer and a seriously good songwriter, which I suppose comes from her being a beat poet first, and coming from that lineage. Imagine, knowing you were phenomenal with words, but all the time sitting on a voice like that! She’s also a kickass woman, a feminist who never feels the need to deride men to get her point across, unlike many of her more successful peer. She’s got such a strong, clear, fair feminine message that is totally lacking in modern music. Compare it to someone like Beyoncé, who is considered this really strong feminist icon by some people, but some of the messages in her music are so confused. ‘If I Were A Boy’ is so unfair. It sort of makes sense but it’s really stupid. And ‘Single Ladies’, with "If you like it then you should have put a ring on it", what are you trying to say?! But someone like Jill Scott is an incredible person with a beautiful message. She was on Sony when I was, and I’d just go in the office and grab loads of CDs. And when I did signings in record stores, they’d say, ‘Just pick up whatever you want’. This album was one of those. I met her when I was 15. I went to the Grammys and sat next to her. I couldn’t say anything. I just felt like an arsehole. And I get like that with anyone that I really like. I generally don’t say a word.
