The Real Thing: Words and Sounds Vol. 3

The Real Thing: Words and Sounds Vol. 3
Studio album by Jill Scott
Released	September 25, 2007 (2007-09-25)
Recorded	2006–07; Bazz Studio, The Cosmic Dust Recorders, Currie House Studio, Glenwood Place Studios, Headquarters Studio, The House That Quest Built, Keswick Studios, Kush Studio, Sigma Sound Studios, The Studio, Studio 609, Studio Atlantis
Genre	R&B, soul, neo soul
Length	50:39
Label	Hidden Beach
Producer	Jill Scott, Abduology, Adam Blackstone, Dre & Vidal, Jacob J. Gold, C. Harris, Shafiq Husayn, JR Hutson, Om'Mas Keith, Khari Mateen, Steve McKie, Jesse Owenz, C. "Spaun" Reeves, Omari Shabazz, Stokley, Scott Storch
Jill Scott chronology
Collaborations (2007) The Real Thing: Words and Sounds Vol. 3 (2007) Live in Paris+ (2008)
Alternative cover
Deluxe limited edition cover
Singles from The Real Thing: Words and Sounds Vol. 3
"Hate on Me" Released: August 2007 "My Love" Released: 2007 "Whenever You're Around" Released: 2008

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	(79/100)
Review scores
Source	Rating
About.com
Allmusic
BBC Music	(favorable)
The Boston Globe	(favorable)
Robert Christgau	(A-)
The Guardian
Q
Rolling Stone
Slant Magazine
Sputnikmusic

The Real Thing: Words and Sounds Vol. 3 is the third studio album (fifth overall) by American recording artist Jill Scott. It was released in the United States on September 25, 2007 by Hidden Beach Recordings to positive reviews from music critics. On certain editions of the album, recordings of live performances of "Golden" and "The Fact Is (I Need You)" are available as bonus tracks. The Real Thing: Words and Sounds Vol. 3 is also available in a deluxe limited edition containing a bonus DVD. On March 17, 2009 the album was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It was Scott's last release on Hidden Beach Recordings before her exit from the label in 2010.

Background

In an interview with HitQuarters, producer JR Hutson commented on the creation of the song "Whenever You're Around":

"I tried to take a real Quincy Jones approach to that record. I brought in a lot of musicians and we were just vibing to a few different things, and that was one of the tracks that stood out to me in the jam session that day. So I [...] tweaked and tweaked the track, edited it [...] and reformatted it, and then eventually ended up with that track."

Commercial performance

The album debuted at number four on the US Billboard 200 and number two on the US Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, selling about 148,000 copies in its first week, Scott's second highest debut on both charts after 2004's Beautifully Human: Words and Sounds Vol. 2. The album was eventually certified gold by the RIAA on March 17, 2009, thus far selling 663,000 copies in the US alone. Elsewhere, The Real Thing: Words and Sounds Vol. 3 charted at number sixty-five in the Netherlands, number seventy-nine in the United Kingdom, and number 128 in France.

Singles

Lead single "Hate on Me" is an unusual song for Scott, stepping out of her soft and smooth soul style and into a bigger, jazzier, more sassy style. In the album sampler, Scott says it is addressed to a group of people she found online who were "hating on her". Amber Riley's character Mercedes Jones performed the song on the Glee episode titled "Throwdown", aired October 14, 2009. "My Love" was released as the second single, for which a music video premiered on September 2, 2007. The third and final single was "Whenever You're Around" and features George Duke. While there was no video shot, the promotional single was successful at R&B radio stations, reaching number fifty-six on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and number sixteen on the Hot Adult R&B Airplay.

Track listing

1. "Let It Be" (Jill Scott, Khari Mateen) – 1:50
2. "The Real Thing" (Scott, Andre Harris, Vidal Davis, Jason Boyd, Ryan Toby) – 3:24
3. "Hate on Me" (Scott, Adam Blackstone, Steve McKie) – 3:29
4. "Come See Me" (Scott, JR Hutson) – 4:59
5. "Crown Royal" (Scott, Hutson) – 1:48
6. "Epiphany" (Scott, Scott Storch) – 2:31
7. "My Love" (Scott, Blackstone, McKie) – 3:50
8. "Insomnia" (Scott, Omari Shabazz) – 3:55
9. "How It Make You Feel" (Scott, Stokley Williams) – 4:32
10. "Only You" (Scott, Tyrone Benjamin Goldstein II) – 3:32
11. "Whenever You're Around" (featuring George Duke) (Scott, Hutson) – 4:05
12. "Celibacy Blues" (Scott, Blackstone, Randy Bowland) – 2:15
13. "All I" (Scott, Blackstone) – 4:56
14. "Wanna Be Loved" (Scott, Hutson) – 3:22
15. "Breathe" (Scott, Om'Mas Keith, Shafiq Husayn) – 2:06

Deluxe limited edition

16. "Imagination/Crown Royal Suite" (Scott, Hutson) – 5:50
17. "Rightness" (Scott, Harris, Davis) – 3:40

Best Buy Edition

16. "The Way" (Live in Paris) - 8:19
17. "Whatever" (Live in Paris) - 7:32

Bonus DVD

1. "A Long Walk" (Music Video)
2. "Golden" (Music Video)
3. "Cross My Mind" (Music Video)
4. "Hate on Me" (Music Video)
5. "My Love" (Music Video)
6. "The Reel from the Real Jill Scott" (an intimate conversation with Jill)

iTunes deluxe limited edition

16. "Imagination/Crown Royal Suite" – 5:50
17. "Rightness" – 3:40
18. "Golden" (Live) – 10:08
19. "The Fact Is (I Need You)" (Live) – 6:40

French edition

16. "Golden" (Live) – 10:08
17. "The Fact Is (I Need You)" (Live) – 6:40

Japanese edition

16. "Imagination/Crown Royal Suite" – 5:50
17. "Rightness" – 3:40
18. "Bedda at Home" (Live in Paris) – 8:32
19. "Hate on Me" (Video)

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2007)	Peak position
Dutch Albums Chart	65
French Albums Chart	128
UK Albums Chart	79
US Billboard 200	4
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums	2

Certifications

Country	Certification
United States	Gold