Jill Scott Holds Herself Accountable For Her Own Joy In 'Woman'

Transcript

ARUN RATH, HOST:

For her new album called "Woman," singer Jill Scott takes a deep dive into what it means to love.

JILL SCOTT: It's kind of the study of a human being, and what I find is that we're more like alike than we are different.

RATH: For insight and inspiration, Jill Scott started by looking inward at her own past.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "PREPARED")

SCOTT: (Singing) I've been reading my old journals, checking to see where my head has been.

I started journaling when I was 12. You know, there were so many nuances to my existence. My body was changing. Friendships were changing. Lots of things were happening, and I wanted to document them in a sense. And I'm older - lots older now (laughter). And I've just been going back to see where my - where I've been, and that was the beginning of this record.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "PREPARED")

SCOTT: (Singing) Oh, I'm going to be super fine, and I've been letting - been letting some old ideas go.

RATH: Jill Scott joined me from Nashville this week, and I asked her how the songs on this album reflect Jill Scott as a woman.

SCOTT: One of the biggest aspects of being a woman - being an adult, thoroughly and authentically - is holding yourself accountable. And going through this album, I am definitely holding myself accountable. I am looking at what's been done, but also what part I had to play in my own joy or demise.

RATH: What song would you say you're being kind of your own harshest indictment of yourself?

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "FOOL'S GOLD")

SCOTT: (Singing) Oh, silly me, my dear, for thinking that you'd stay. Gave you my heart, and then you ran away. Either I'm stupid, I'm foolish, or you're playing me.

"Fool's Gold" is the story of, I guess, waking up, looking around and saying, I was believing things that were false. I was looking through colored glasses and wasn't paying attention to my own inner voice telling me that I'm headed in the wrong direction.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "FOOL'S GOLD")

SCOTT: (Singing) You had me chasing fool's gold - had me chasing fool's gold. I was chasing fool's gold. Somewhere deep down inside...

RATH: Talking with Jill Scott. Her new record is called "Woman." We've had on the show while I've been hosting some great representatives of the Philadelphia sound, but I know you proudly represent that city. Can you talk a bit about how Philadelphia helped form Jill Scott?

SCOTT: Oh, man.

RATH: Is that too deep?

SCOTT: Oh, no, not at all. I mean, they call me Jilly from Philly. So much of who I am is because of the music of Philadelphia. My mother introduced me to a great radio station - WDAS FM - and they played all kinds of powerful retro music. She took me to Ortlieb's, which is a jazz spot in Philly. And I wasn't supposed to be there, but she put me behind a chair and kind of hid me. I watched great musicians be great musicians. I saw Patti LaBelle. I saw Teddy Pendergrass - oh, my goodness - Gladys Knight and the Pips - so many live performances. Philly is definitely a place to enhance the live performance, and Philadelphia audiences - they are tough. They are tough. If they don't like it, they will let you know. And it's more than a boo. You might have to duck...

(LAUGHTER)

SCOTT: ...In Philly.

RATH: You've always used a very broad palette. Everything - feels like - from the past and present in soul music has been there with you. But on this album, there's some songs in particular that sound especially retro, like "Run, Run, Run."

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "RUN, RUN, RUN")

UNIDENTIFIED SINGERS: (Singing) Na, na, na, na, na, na (ph).

SCOTT: "Run, Run, Run" kind of give me a little bit of the Beach Boys. It kind of gave me Aretha Franklin. I've been doing a lot of stewing. I've been making stews out of music, and "Run, Run, Run" definitely felt like one of those songs.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "RUN, RUN, RUN")

SCOTT: (Singing) Baby, Mama be back in a minute. Got to hustle and hand out that business. I'll be right back when I'm done. I've got to run, run, run, run, baby. Got to put food on the table.

RATH: Your voices seems really suited to just belting it out like that.

SCOTT: Thank you. Thank you. I've been working on that, amongst other things - amongst other things. I really enjoy the art of singing. I'm a more of a character singer, so if I hear something that sounds a little grimy, I put some grit in my voice. If it's something that's pretty and light and lovely, then I change my voice to sound that way. I like to tap into the emotions of things.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "RUN, RUN, RUN")

SCOTT: (Singing) I got to run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, baby.

RATH: I could go out on that, but I want to get one of the most powerful songs on the record before I let you go. The song "You Don't Know" - "You Don't Know Nothing About Love."

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "YOU DON'T KNOW")

SCOTT: (Singing) Did you ever know what it is to be heard?

RATH: People might be familiar with the BB King version, but this is kind of transformed. I want you to talk about how this song kind of fit into this record's narrative.

SCOTT: "You Don't Know" is - in a lot of ways, I think it's the difference between a girl and a woman. Love is - for girls, it could be the fantasy, the fairytale. You know, he came and swept me off my feet, and (laughter) I was so enamored of his - you know, his eyes or his car or, you know, whatever. And I know that feeling. I felt that feeling. I've been a girl for longer than I've been a woman. But now that I am, I see things differently. And if you don't know what it's like it to stay up all night and not be able to eat and to give up everything for love, then you don't know what love is. You have no clue.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "YOU DON'T KNOW")

SCOTT: (Singing) You don't know nothing. You don't know nothing. You don't know nothing about love.

Love is not all lace and flowers. It's shaped like a fist covered in blood. Love is a powerful, powerful tool that I always will believe can change the world.

RATH: That's Jill Scott. Her fifth studio album, "Woman," is out now. Jill Scott, I love you. Thank you so much.

RATH: Oh, thank you. My pleasure.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "YOU DON'T KNOW")

SCOTT: (Singing) You don't know nothing about nothing. You know nothing. You don't know. You don't know. You know, you don't know nothing. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.