Jaguar Wright

Philly's neo-soul survivor strives for the beautiful (but doesn't wanna talk about it).

by Tisha Kline

Jessica Kourkounis

Jaguar Wright's got a reputation. Like her big-cat namesake, she can be mysterious, elegant, vulnerable — but always ready to attack. If you think you detect a don't-wanna-be-bothered, get-out-my-face vibe, you are mistaken. "Anyone who knows me will tell you that I am and have always been pretty open and direct," she says. "I'm befuddled on how any of my repartee could be perceived as standoffish."

That said, after a four-year drought, she's got a slew of new projects — a single out now, a digital EP due early next year and a full-length album further down the road — and doesn't want to talk about any of them.

Lucky for us, the single, "Beautiful," speaks volumes. It's a waltzing R&B swooner about experienced lovers learning to take it slow. "I'm not a virgin, nor are you/ for one second pretend it's true / and this our first time to enjoy and intertwine." As the track fades, she finishes with a flurry of breathy words and fluttery high notes. It's hot.

Jag seems to be easing up on the around-the-way Philly-girl attitude while still flexing that all-the-way Philly-girl voice. She's willing to say her sound is shifting, but is reluctant to say how. "I guess my new direction is to be mentioned at another time when things are clearer," she writes over e-mail. "My work, if it speaks to you, should speak for itself."

Maybe she's tired of talking. Jag's disputes with her former label, MCA, and her in-laws — in liner notes and interviews — are a matter of public record. And ancient history. "Many years have passed and I choose not to dwell on the negatives of it when there are so many positive things to focus on in the present," she says. And, as for her rep, well: "My reputation is a matter of opinion, not be confused with a matter of fact."

So let's talk facts. Jaguar was a pioneer in Philly's Black Lily scene, the weekly pass-the-mic jam nights that first shined a light on talents like Jill Scott and Kindred. It also laid a foundation for the neo-soul movement. Alongside Okayplayer comrades The Roots, she backed up Jay-Z on his MTV Unplugged special in 2001. She's released two albums, Denials Delusions and Decisions in 2002 and Divorcing Neo 2 Marry Soul in 2005, that made a dent in the Billboard charts. More recently, she provided backing vocals on the Rev. Al Green's Lay It Down. Those are facts.

"If you take an educated look back through time, you will see that every seven years all fronts of the music scene have progressed, whether for the good or the bad," she says. "I'm one of the few publicly known artists left that is still honest and respectful with the craft."

With two children to raise, responsibility keeps her going, though she keeps that part — the family part — of her life separate from her music. "Being a mother and an artist have nothing to do with each other. The only thing that changed is realizing that I have to work harder, because I have people to take care of."

This summer, she suffered a great loss when her father passed away. "As sad as the whole thing has been, it has motivated me in ways that I can't put into words. Tragedy shapes two kinds of people. Either you become a hero or you become a coward," Jaguar says. "I have chosen the former."

(editorial@citypaper.net)