Jill Scott Debuts New Song at Special Carnegie Hall Engagement

For her first-ever performance at New York's famed Carnegie Hall (as part of the JVC Jazz Festival) Philly soul diva Jill Scott belted heartfelt verses all the way to the back of the third balcony. "I'm the real thing, in stereo/gotta little highs, gotta little lows" her alto rang to the rafters on the rocked-out title track from her latest album The Real Thing: Words and Sounds Vol. 3. With each song, Scott dramatically carried the audience through a relationship rollercoaster: there was softness, passion, tension, rage, and rousing climaxes that had the packed crowd swaying, snapping, and longing for more.

On "Insomnia" she was up all night wishing her man would come back home, feeling crazy and alone. She started the song off pining, but soon her vocals were aching, and after the third verse she was defiant: "After being chased, I've been dismissed… You have managed to turn me from a woman of substance into this." The mood turned sweet when Scott's drummer emerged with a bouquet of yellow roses and kissed her — Scott then announced that they're engaged (the crowd cheered its approval). During favorites from all three of her albums, "Is It The Way," "Golden," and "Hate On Me," a mother and her daughters danced in the aisle, excited to have slipped past security down front.

Scott returned barefoot for a second encore, insisting that camera phones be turned off so everyone can "be in this place together." She then performed a new song for more than 10 minutes, "And I Heard," which started like a prayer and ended as a hymn.

Set List:
"The Rightness"
"Let It Be"
"The Real Thing"
"A Long Walk"
"Epiphany"
"Insomnia"
"Only You"
"Whenever You're Around"
"Slowly Surely"
"Is It The Way"
"How It Make You Feel"
"Come See Me"
"Imagination"
"Crown Royal"

Encore:

"Gimme"
"It's Love"
"Golden"
"Hate On Me"
"He Loves Me"
"And I Heard"

• 
  MUSIC 100 Greatest Debut Albums
• 
  MOVIES 'Great Gatsby' Is a Crushing Disappointment
• 
  TV Why You Should Watch 'Happy Endings'
• 
  POLITICS No Price Big Banks Can't Fix

Song Stories

“Oh Sherrie”

Steve Perry | 1984

Steve Perry's girlfriend Sherrie Swafford was actually in the studio when Perry began writing this song--his lone Top Ten hit as a solo act--with two co-writers. The trio began at midnight one night with just "Oh, Sherrie!" and "hold on, hold on." Three hours later, they had a complete song. Swafford, however, had to wait until the next day to hear it. "Sherrie actually got tired and went to bed," Perry said. She also appeared in the video, but their relationship did not hold on for long.

More Song Stories entries »

Twitter