There’s real power in the act of stepping back and taking a breather. In our fast-paced, mile-a-minute everyday, we’re not often afforded such an opportunity but having time and space can be transformative, especially in a creative context. For actress and singer Jill Scott, who makes her long-awaited return with her first album since 2015’s Woman, her new project is a product of having had that room to step back, live life and reflect on the world at large. The end result, To Whom This May Concern, is an engaging and fiercely sincere exchange of knowledge and experience, the album manifesting themes of connection and humanity via Scott’s immensely skilful storytelling.
In typical Jill Scott fashion, To Whom This May Concern is an album that incorporates varying genres and contributions from a somewhat surprising cast of artists and producers. Since the very beginnings of her career, Scott has maintained a unique approach towards collaboration, lending her voice to projects by everyone from fellow soul singers to chart-topping rappers. This album begins with the self-assured, affirming poetry of ‘Dope Shit’, featuring soul and spoken word artist Maha Adachi Earth, which blends swiftly into the exuberant ‘Be Great’, with its big band bounce courtesy of New Orleans musician Trombone Shorty. Elsewhere, ‘To B Honest’, which includes a guest spot from Atlanta rapper JID, is an unexpected gem because of the contrast between Scott’s richly textured legato vocals and JID’s breathless, rapid-fire flow, which both sit atop a truly formidable bass line.
Later in the album, there are appearances from West Coast hip-hop pioneer Too $hort (‘BPOTY’) and Tierra Whack (‘Norf Side’), the latter’s witty and irreverent style of rap reinforcing Scott’s own playfulness. This returns again on the audacious and sassy ‘Pay U on Tuesday’, which begins with a disclaimer ahead of some mischievous and bawdy lyrics, its general tone reminiscent of an early Ella Fitzgerald-esque swing-oriented style.
Tracks like the funk-infused ‘Beautiful People’ and Gospel-tinged ‘Liftin’ Me Up’ showcase the sheer force of Scott’s vocals, as they soar above neo-soul harmonies and sections of lilting spoken word. And all the way through, Scott invites listeners to really think and feel empowered by her words, in whatever way they see fit. ‘Pressha’, for example, a track about societal demands to act and look a certain way, is seeped in rich jazz instrumentation, giving it an anthemic quality which matches the arc of the song. In the lyrics, Scott laments the feeling of not being enough with her trademark wistfulness: “I wasn’t the aesthetic, I guess, I guess I get it / So much pressure to appear just like them.”
An artist that has contributed an immeasurable amount to contemporary soul and R&B in over two decades of releases, it’s no surprise that To Whom This May Concern delivers as much depth, warmth and humour as it does. It’s a body of work that continues Scott’s legacy of being able to simultaneously spark conversation and comfort the spirit with not only her words and melodies, but with her emphasis on community and lifting others up. She may be six albums in, but having taken the time to pause and recalibrate, Scott is proving that she still has much to say and a voice that is worth listening to.
