ClubHooligan.com - Burning it up at both ends

Web posted October 11, 2007

New in the world of pop

JILL SCOTT "The Real Thing: Words & Sounds, Vol. 3" ★★★

Jill Scott's third album is supposed to be all about heartache, since it's the Philadelphia R&B singer and poet's first since splitting with husband Lyzel Williams. After all, he was the subject of "He Loves Me (Lyzel in E Flat)," which none other than Beyonce covered her last time through town. But if I were Lyzel, I'd be blushing, because "The Real Thing," with a few exceptions like the notably rocked-out and raging "Hate on Me," is a steamy, sexy, slow-jam record that doesn't hold back in the slightest when it comes to Minnie Riperton-style make-out sessions such as "Crown Royal" and "All I." Working with a variety of producers, including Adam Blackstone, J.R. Hutson and Vidal Davis, Jilly from Philly, who has starring roles in movies directed by Tyler Perry and Anthony Minghella, comes across as confessional, confident and candid, as always. She's on top of her game, whether rapping over Scott Storch's minimalist beat on "Epiphany," calling out an absent lover in "Whenever You're Around," or opening up emotionally on "Wanna Be Loved."

PJ HARVEY "White Chalk" ★★★

This is PJ Harvey's Bronte sisters album, a set of chilling ballads sung by a woman locked away in the attic in "Jane Eyre" or lost out on the moor in the middle of the night in "Wuthering Heights." It doesn't rock in the slightest, and it's often sung in a high-pitched near-whisper that bears little resemblance to the alarming growl that the diminutive Harvey brought to such fearsome rockers as "Meet Ze Monsta" or "50 Ft. Queenie." But the music's hushed quality doesn't make it any less gripping. In fact, "White Chalk's" strongest moments, such as the ghostly "When Under Ether" only accentuate its gothic grip.