Beautifully Human: Words And Sounds Vol. 2 (2004)

Jill Scott, Philly soul's premier vocal stylist, mostly sticks to the jazzy script of her smash debut, 2000's ''Words and Sounds Vol. 1,'' again offering a cohesive collection of slow-burning love grooves and self-empowerment anthems. But Beautifully Human: Words and Sounds Vol. 2 also features more nods to far-flung influences like Sarah Vaughan and Minnie Riperton, showcasing Scott's nimble fluency in dynamics. She's as comfortable sighing like a muted horn as she is wailing in big-band fashion -- though it's the infusion of tenderness in her homespun tales that seals the CD's lasting appeal. Take ''Family Reunion,'' a fairly uneventful '70s R&B loop that ultimately proves itself a quiet charmer thanks to Scott's detailed family snapshot of rumbling cousins, a drink-happy aunt, delicious green potato salad, and Frankie Beverly blasting from the stereo. With such sumptuous incantations, Scott is less singer-songwriter than sorceress.

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