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

. 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 released

. "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

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

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

.

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

Jill Scott was introduced to the world on her aptly titled brilliant neo soul debut "Who is Jill Scott? (words and sounds Vol.1)" with it's jazz/soul/hip hop/poetry style, and here on her third studio release proper, she continues the trend, but with more jazzy flourishes. She co-wrote the classic Grammy winning "You got me" performed by The Roots with Erykah Badu, and we've been discovering more of her ever since.

Having experienced the vagaries of fame, as well as a brief marriage in the last few years, her lyrics as ever are cathartic, and the sound more mellow.

Opening things is the brief, hip hop styled "Let it be". Title track "The real thing" is full of wailing electric guitars giving a lite-rock feel, with Jill declaring she is the real thing. Lead off single "Hate on me" also guitar and horn driven set to heavy hip hop beats, is her retort to those hating on her because of her fame.

The airy, bouncy, bass heavy "Whenever you're around" belies the lyrics of the song; "cause I'm lonely/whenever you're around". Other standouts are the quiet storm feel of "Come see me", the brooding, spoken "Epiphany", "Only you" (with its deep bassline), and "Celibacy blues" (as its name implies, heavily blues styled).

Another classic from Ms Scott who always gives her fans the real thing!!

Jill Scott is personally one of my favorite singers in the music industry these days. Scott not only possesses an uncanny soulfulness that few have been able to emulate, but she also is a songwriter - a poet - who is truly mindful of the lyrics she writes. Few R&B singers have a way with words the way that Scott does; she's one of a kind. C'mon people, how many times have you heard a line like "[I'm] your phosphorus, I'm your energy" as she sings so passionately in the title track? It's rhetorical - she's a minority among real R&B songwriters; she's part of an elitest group. While BEAUTIFULLY HUMAN is arguably her best album, THE REAL THING possesses something that that Grammy award winning album didn't have - sass and true sensuality about it. Sure, "Cross My Mind" was sexy, but THE REAL THING takes it to another level. "Epiphany" is ten times steamier than "Cross My Mind" would ever dream of being. And guess what - I love the heightened sense of sensuality on THE REAL THINGS. It's enough to make you "hot and bothered", but not so much where the sensuality pervades the album (look no further Janet Jackson's awesomely bad DAMITA JO for an example). THE REAL THING is another successful chapter in Jill's brilliant career.

The album starts out with an unnecessary interlude, which proves to be the lowest point of THE REAL THING. Sure, it is more about "atmosphere", but the album would've been just as effective had it been absent. "The Real Thing" follows and is in my opinion one of Jill's best. Her use of words is a sharp as ever and "The Real Thing" is certainly more hooky than many of her previous numbers; it is infectious. "Hate On Me" may be the closest thing (besides "Golden") that Scott may come to having a truly commercial single. The production aludes blatantly to an image that is more hip-hop savvy for Scott, who is usually more "refined" in respect production work. "Hate on Me" showcases a side of Scott we haven't seen in which the "claws" come out. It's fantastic!

"Come See Me" is typical soulful Scott while fans will wish the brief "Crown Royal" was longer in duration. "Epiphany" is a personal favorite of mind as Scott acts out sex in perhaps the most sultry, sensual, titilating protrayal you've ever heard. Scott Storch's bass-heavy production suits Scott's "epiphany" perfectly. "My Love" is a neo-soul masterpiece as is the 'out of the box' "My Love" in which jazz-influenced melodic lines and harmonies give the listener chills. "Insomnnia", "How It Make You Feel", and "Whenever You're Around" are all worthwhile listens as is "Celibacy Blues", "All I" and "Wanna Be Loved". The album concludes with an the brief, interlude-like track "Breathe".

Consistent? Definitely. If you liked WHO IS JILL SCOTT?, her live album, BEAUTIFULLY HUMAN, or her COLLABORATIONS, you'll love THE REAL THING. It is definitely her sexiest album ever. And for the couples out there who are looking for some genuinely sensual "baby making music", THE REAL THING is exactly what you are looking for - honestly! 4 stars Jill!!!

This album is easily 5 stars! If you are a music lover this is a must for your collection... I encourage everyone to buy the album and NOT DOWNLOAD, neo/soul/R&B is not mainstream music but this album is what the music world is missing!!! This is the best album to date from Jill Scott, I listen to it non-stop from beginning to end!!! GO AND GRAB IT!!!! Show the industry that we need more R&B and NEO!!!!!

Jill Scott definitely did her thing on this CD. I love songs, the beats, the lyrics, the attitude. Many reviews keep commenting on the "erotic" lyrics. If you are an adult, her lyrics shouldn't shock you. She delves deep into her emotions and state of mind. I do not hear the sad divorcee lament that others seem to hear in these records. I hear a woman who has a story to tell; its not sad, its not happy. Its just the truth. Her truth. I love Insomnia- unfortunately I can relate to the lyrics on too many levels!!. Hate On Me is great with a strong thumping beat. Other strong songs are Crown Royal, Whenever you are around, How it make you feel (the teenagers love this song), Come See Me, Only You, Wanna be loved. As you can see, I love most of the songs on the CD. However, Epiphany is my favorite; her rap is so smooth and the beat is tight. With this CD, Jill has scored a place in my MP3 player for months.