Goosebumps are starting to cover my body due to the magnificent vocals of neo-soul singer Jill Scott on her bluesy number entitled “You Don’t Know.” The single is from the latest album, Woman. “You Don’t Know” is one of her most powerful vocal performances of her fruitful career. This song is the best thing living for R&B music right now.
Jill Scott wastes no time and asks, “Do you even know / What it is to be hurt? / Did you ever feel like dirt? / Did you ever give up / On your pride / Just to have him by your side?” If these questions are foreign, then unfortunately Scott answers, “Well, if you don’t know what I’m talking about / You don’t know nothing about love.” In the first verse, she sets the atmosphere’s energy that is magnetic. The drums and live instruments influence listeners to relish on this epic sound.
Jill Scott wins the prize at the moment for the best vocals of the year, soulfully going where no other singer has gone for a quite long time. A sense of character lives inside of Scott’s vocals, which richly and impressively levitates with the extraordinary live band element. Without a doubt, a live performance of this song would receive a standing ovation.
The production is invigorating and hits a home run, successfully pulling the proper strings to create an experience. It’s as if the listeners are sitting and watching this song being performed live. The musical component to this song increases as the song develops and slows the tempo, where it is needed, in order for the vocal performance to shine. Adding the proper amount of musical elements truly produced a well-executed song.
As a single, this is a statement piece that definitely is powerful and polished. “You Don’t Know” encourages other R&B divas who are prepping to release brand new material to go hard or go home. Jill Scott sounds like a superstar here.