Marilyn Scott: Handpicked

On the heels of her excellent and most jazz-induced 2004 release, Nightcap, Marilyn Scott takes a step back and gives her growing group of fans a remarkable overview of her projection with a set of songs from her ten-year career. The queen of hazel-eyed soul leaves us with an entertaining sampler of her singing, interpretation and songwriting skills.

With George Duke at the helm of most of the songs, Scott has found the perfect partner to illuminate her sensitive yet assuring voice in its best light. She is able to be both haunting and rebuking on "You Don't Know What Love Is," as well as encouraging on Bacharach's "Let Me Be the One." Ranging from light hip-hop ("Starting to Fall") to full-bodied soul ("You Don't Know Me"), she is always clear, believable and vulnerable. She is even able to be quite street-wise on the Tom Waits-influenced "Get Home." While in the realm of pop and soul, she is able to cover a lot of territory.

The highlight of Handpicked, however, has to be the encouraging and inspiring "The Last Day," which is virtually guaranteed to re-evaluate any relationship you are in. That is what artists like Scott are best at, luring you in with the music to give you food for thought. Since there are no songs from Nightcap on Handpicked, it's a great way to get to know this tremendous talent.