Jill Scott
Woman
(Atlantic)

Woman is singer Jill Scott’s fifth studio album, a follow-up to 2011’s The Light of the Sun, and it’s just as soothing, like a cup of chamomile tea, inviting us to stay over for a spell as we get really honest and intimate. One thing I’ve always admired about Scott is her confidence as a woman and her ability to try new musical sounds and styles and never be apologetic for it. From the start of her music career in 2000 with the release of Who Is Jill Scott? Words & Sounds: Vol. 1, to her third LP, The Real Thing: Words and Sounds Vol. 3 in 2007, Scott has always carried her femininity as a badge, and that’s what endures her to thousands. Though the songwriter’s latest project sounds more like a compilation of sorts with its mixes of R&B, soul, spoken-word, doo-wop, blues and gospel, she is simply a grown woman sharing life as it happened to her.

All I know: Woman includes tracks on being “Prepared” for the next adventure in love or life, and other memorable tunes like “Closure” (ending the control an ex has over her), “Lighthouse” (being protection and support for her man), and “You Don’t Know,” which gives me chills for its sincerity and power, while closing track “Beautiful Love,” featuring singer BJ the Chicago Kid, makes me believe in Scott’s story of finding the love she so beautifully sings about.