My Songbook - Part 2

A Long Walk – Jill Scott
Album: Who is Jill Scott? (Words and Sounds Vol. 1)

What moves me:
Jill Scott is fierce. Her voice is nimble, commanding and capable of gliding up and down scales to superhuman heights with ease. Since she’s a poet, the lyrics are what rivet me. In A Long Walk, it’s like she’s been listening in on my prayers - articulating the type of relationship that I’ve often prayed and hoped for – one filled with “conversation, verbal elation, stimulation.”

She expertly sets the scene for a leisurely stroll with someone you’d like to waste time with. The relaxed backbeat and synthesizers mimic her poetic cooing. Her voice sounds like a trumpet when she gets going at the end, “could roll a TREE, and listen to a symphoNEE, or maybe we could chill and just BE.”

A perfect listen:

…on a summer day when your heart is ready to hope in the future and believe in love again. To be truly surrounded by the song, I’d go to my favorite park, slip off my shoes and feel the soft grass beneath the pads of my feet. After walking for a minute or so, I’d settle down on a particularly cozy section in the middle of the park and flop down on my blanket. Sing along sweetly. Daydream. Pray for the song to be made manifest. Walk away from the afternoon full of optimism