Jill Scott

On “Making You Wait’’ from Scott’s fifth CD, the singer-songwriter tells her lover that she’s holding out but assures him “I’m worth it.’’ This she proves. The 15 songs, which alternate between luxurious to fleet and funky, are about the affirmation of self in the face of doubt and conflicted love. As with her previous works, Scott makes music on her own terms and she isn’t interested in hook/chorus factory-produced songwriting. Intermittently, Scott veers from the warm, intimate keyboard-based sound that has dominated much of her work.

Scottish writer Alexander McCall Smith, whose "No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency" series turned into an HBO show starring Jill Scott, was at the Brattle Theatre on Friday on behalf of the Harvard Book Store and the Harvard School of Public Health AIDS Initiative to talk about his life, his work, and the latest book in his "No. 1" series, "The Limpopo Academy of Private Detection. " We hear that McCall Smith, who was born in what is now Zimbabwe, had his Cambridge audience laughing all night, which is no surprise.

JILL SCOTT'S SUMMER BLOCK PARTY With Anthony Hamilton, Mint Condition, and Doug E. Fresh on Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the Bank of America Pavilion. Tickets: $24.75-$120.75, 800-745-3000, www.livenation.com Jill Scott is ready to get down. And that's just what she plans to do when she brings her Jill Scott's Summer Block Party tour to the Bank of America Pavilion on Tuesday. The Philadelphia-spawned soul singer has plenty to celebrate. Her splendid new album, "The Light of the Sun," debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Top 200 albums chart last month and remains lodged firmly in the top 10. And...

VH1 Divas Celebrates Soul 9 p.m., VH1 A cavalcade of soulful ladies - including Mary J. Blige, Jennifer Hudson, Jill Scott, and Kelly Clarkson - pay homage to various cities famous for R&B, including Philadelphia, Chicago, and Detroit. The indefatigable rock 'n' roll pioneer Wanda Jackson (pictured), the big-voiced Florence Welch of Florence + the Machine, and Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings also celebrate the sound of the late Amy Winehouse in a special tribute. Terra Nova 8 p.m., Channel 25 The first season of this time travel series comes to a close tonight with the latest pilgrimage to...

Reprinted from late editions of yesterday's Globe. It's no wonder director Tyler Perry thought that Jill Scott could be a strong actress in his 2007 film "Why Did I Get Married?" Anyone who's seen the honey-voiced soul diva do her thing onstage knows she is a storyteller of the highest order. The kind who burrows deep into the emotions of her songs but never holds the audience at arm's length, instead inviting them to get down into the groove with her and maybe learn something about themselves along the way, whether they like it or not. Sunday night at the Orpheum...

"I like to tell stories. And I like to emote. " That's Jill Scott describing the common thread her music career, a brief but luminous seven-year stretch during which she's lit the cracks between spoken-word, R&B, hip-hop, and jazz. With the release today of her third studio album, "The Real Thing: Words and Sounds Vol. 3," the Grammy-winning singer and songwriter can add rock 'n' roll to the list. A heavy electric guitar riff that would please Jimmy Page is the centerpiece of the album's title track, and the first single, "Hate on Me," bristles with...

VH1 Divas Celebrates Soul 9 p.m., VH1 A cavalcade of soulful ladies - including Mary J. Blige, Jennifer Hudson, Jill Scott, and Kelly Clarkson - pay homage to various cities famous for R&B, including Philadelphia, Chicago, and Detroit. The indefatigable rock 'n' roll pioneer Wanda Jackson (pictured), the big-voiced Florence Welch of Florence + the Machine, and Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings also celebrate the sound of the late Amy Winehouse in a special tribute. Terra Nova 8 p.m., Channel 25 The first season of this time travel series comes to a close tonight with the...

More than 422,000 people took part in the 2011 Essence Music Festival held over the Fourth of July weekend in New Orleans. For three days, thousands gathered for nightly concerts inside the Louisiana Superdome and free daily empowerment and community-based events at the city’s convention center where the festival, presented by Coca-Cola, celebrated its 17th anniversary. Citywide hotel occupancy was in the mid-90 percent range or higher throughout the weekend. Essence Communications President Michelle Ebanks said Tuesday that the large numbers...

Organizers say British actress Helen Mirren will co-host this year's Nobel Peace Prize concert, featuring performances by Benin's Angelique Kidjo and other world artists. The Dec. 11 concert is held a day after the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony, which this year honors President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and women's right activist Leymah Gbowee — both of Liberia — and democracy activist Tawakkul Karman of Yemen. The lineup of artists include Ahmed Fathi of Yemen and Liberian-born singer Miatta Fahnbulleh, as well as David Gray, Jill Scott, country duo Sugarland and World Youth Choir.

Scottish writer Alexander McCall Smith, whose "No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency" series turned into an HBO show starring Jill Scott, was at the Brattle Theatre on Friday on behalf of the Harvard Book Store and the Harvard School of Public Health AIDS Initiative to talk about his life, his work, and the latest book in his "No. 1" series, "The Limpopo Academy of Private Detection. " We hear that McCall Smith, who was born in what is now Zimbabwe, had his Cambridge audience laughing all night, which is no surprise.

"Dear God, if you listening now/ I need ya do a thing for me," croons Anthony Hamilton on "Pray for Me," and the sudden transition from formal humility to casual audacity encapsulates the achievement of this quietly thrilling album. Like his musical compatriot Jill Scott, this gritty, church-trained North Carolina native is often categorized as "neo-soul. " But the smooth-groove classicism here is just part of Hamilton's mature command of the form, with none of neo-soul's studied Afro-Sheen patina.

Organizers say British actress Helen Mirren will co-host this year's Nobel Peace Prize concert, featuring performances by Benin's Angelique Kidjo and other world artists. The Dec. 11 concert is held a day after the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony, which this year honors President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and women's right activist Leymah Gbowee — both of Liberia — and democracy activist Tawakkul Karman of Yemen. The lineup of artists include Ahmed Fathi of Yemen and Liberian-born singer Miatta Fahnbulleh, as well as David Gray, Jill Scott, country...

This year's "VH1 Divas" is celebrating soulful voices — and the cities where soul flourished. Mary J. Blige, Kelly Clarkson and Florence and the Machine are among the acts that will pay tribute to the places that helped create or contributed to the genre. According to a Thursday statement, Chicago, Detroit, London, Philadelphia and Memphis, Tenn., will serve as the musical inspirations for the performers, who will also include Jennifer Hudson, Jill Scott and Jessie J. The Roots will be the house band for the "VH1 Divas Celebrates Soul" special, which will air Dec. 19. The...

Raised in Nigeria and based in Paris, Asa exemplifies the new wave of global singer-songwriters who express feelings and experiences from their fluid lives - marked by migration, expatriation, or dual cultural identities - through the time-honored tools of earnest lyrics and a guitar. Asa's self-titled 2008 debut was a tantalizing introduction: Her slightly husky voice possessed a kind of instant bohemian appeal, and the songs, many drifting toward a reggae tempo and feel, felt animated by a quiet but smoldering political consciousness.

JILL SCOTT'S SUMMER BLOCK PARTY With Anthony Hamilton, Mint Condition, and Doug E. Fresh on Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the Bank of America Pavilion. Tickets: $24.75-$120.75, 800-745-3000, www.livenation.com Jill Scott is ready to get down. And that's just what she plans to do when she brings her Jill Scott's Summer Block Party tour to the Bank of America Pavilion on Tuesday. The Philadelphia-spawned soul singer has plenty to celebrate. Her splendid new album, "The Light of the Sun," debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Top 200 albums chart last month and...

More than 422,000 people took part in the 2011 Essence Music Festival held over the Fourth of July weekend in New Orleans. For three days, thousands gathered for nightly concerts inside the Louisiana Superdome and free daily empowerment and community-based events at the city’s convention center where the festival, presented by Coca-Cola, celebrated its 17th anniversary. Citywide hotel occupancy was in the mid-90 percent range or higher throughout the weekend. Essence Communications President Michelle Ebanks said Tuesday that the large numbers...

This year's "VH1 Divas" is celebrating soulful voices — and the cities where soul flourished. Mary J. Blige, Kelly Clarkson and Florence and the Machine are among the acts that will pay tribute to the places that helped create or contributed to the genre. According to a Thursday statement, Chicago, Detroit, London, Philadelphia and Memphis, Tenn., will serve as the musical inspirations for the performers, who will also include Jennifer Hudson, Jill Scott and Jessie J. The Roots will be the house band for the "VH1 Divas Celebrates Soul" special, which will air Dec. 19. The...

WHY DID I GET MARRIED (TMC on Comcast) This enjoyable if endless melodrama from Tyler Perry involves a handful of yuppie couples whose group vacation is interrupted by secrets, lies, and venereal diseases. The characters don’t make consistent sense. But Perry makes it easy on us mostly by letting the cast, which includes Janet Jackson, Sharon Leal, Malik Yoba, Tyler Perry, Richard T. Jones, Tasha Smith, and Jill Scott, do what it wants. (PG-13; runs through Oct. 8)

Homare Sawa scored a hat trick yesterday as Japan routed Mexico, 4-0, to reach the quarterfinals of the Women’s World Cup for the second time. Sawa, playing in her fifth World Cup, opened the scoring in the 13th minute before a crowd of 22,291 at Bay Arena in Leverkusen, Germany. Sawa, 32, added her second goal in the 39th after Shinobu Ohno had made it 2-0 in the 15th. Sawa had plenty of room in the 80th minute when she was set up by Yukari Kinga for her last score.

Jill Scott rallied England with a second-half goal and assisted on another for a 2-1 win over New Zealand on Friday. For more than an hour, England was in trouble. But the tall midfielder Scott turned things around with a 63rd-minute header and a low pass to Jess Clarke for an 81st-minute winner. England moved into second place in Group B with four points, behind Japan, which beat Mexico 4-0 in the other group game to advance to the quarterfinals. With two losses, New Zealand was eliminated.