While still deeply involved with background work eight years after starring in the Grammy-winning documentary 20 Feet from Stardom,
Judith Hill maintained the triennial release pattern that started in 2012 with the soundtrack of Red Hook Summer. The self-produced
Baby, I'm Hollywood!, her most refined showcase, is another round of spirited R&B that moves across styles, eras, and even regions. Mentor
Prince remains her creative lodestar. His influence is most apparent in "God Bless the Mechanic," a slow jam delight that, with its sashaying gait and swooning strings, could segue smoothly into the Family's "The Screams of Passion." The flirty lines in "You Got the Right Thing," a funk groove that churns like
Sly & the Family Stone's "Thank You," could have come from
Prince himself. Elsewhere, "Candlelight in the Dark" is
Hill's finest and most nuanced gospel-inspired song yet. Just as convincing is the
Curtis Mayfield-style cinematic soul on "Wanderer," and the title song, which stomps like classic Motown crossed with
Ike & Tina Turner.
Hill, a natural belter, cuts clear through it all, including the bluesy guitar solo she throws into the mix on the latter.
Hill makes it look easy and fun. The positive energy is infectious. ~ Andy Kellman