JUDITH HILL - BACK IN TIME

Some of you may know who Judith Hill is and others won't.  I don't know a lot about her other than she was working with Michael Jackson when he died.  She's the latest aspiring addition to Prince's NPG label and for the record, you can hear Prince all over this disc.  He produces, arranges, plays instruments, provides vocals and does just about everything you'd expect Prince to do except...  write???  

That's right, folks, you heard it here first!  Prince doesn't contribute a single track to this record.  Not a one.  But it does have a strong vibe to it.

So...  That being the case, how does Judith Hill come off as a songwriter and vocalist?

As many of you know, Prince recruits and works with two types of people...  Those he finds interesting for whatever reason.  These are the people he usually writes everything for and uses their albums as a vehicle for his own material.  It's a way to get his fams more jams.  These are the singers and musicians who don't go on to have careers outside of his influence.  They never break out on their own and their one Prince infused output tends to be their only output.  

Then there are the talented people who could easily have it all without him.  Real musicians and singers with oodles of ability.  And Judith Hill falls into this category.  She's a voice, a brilliant songwriter and I'm hoping to see her live eventually.

The first time I heard this disc was when Prince posted it for free online.  I downloaded it like everyone else and listened to it.  At that point, the songwriting credits hadn't been released so no one really knew who had contributed what exactly.  I remember thinking that if Prince had written any of these songs they were collaborations with Hill because they are all a genuine departure from his usual fare.

Hill writes a Jazzy blues type of song full of soul and spark.  You can hear the Prince embellishments, but even without his unique ear for sound, the music would hold up on its own.  Partly because of Hill's strong vocal delivery.  I have a few favorite tracks on the album.  I usually put it in and let it play but when I'm driving, my favorite song to jam is 'Love Trip'.

My other favorite tracks include 'Angel In The Dark', 'Beautiful Life', 'My People' and 'Back In Time'.  This really is a great album and you won't go wrong adding it to your collection.  You just won't.  My final words:  JUST IN TIME FOR SUMMER DRIVING!

JUDITH HILL - BACK IN TIME
01. As Trains Go By
02. Turn Up
03. Angel In The Dark
04. Beautiful Life
05. Cure
06. Love Trip
07. My People
08. Wild Tonight
09. Cry, Cry, Cry
10. Jammin In The Basement
11. Back In Time