NEWARK, New Jersey — It was almost like a homecoming for Jill Scott this weekend. Bringing the soulful sounds of the Who Is Jill Scott? tour to the New Jersey Performing Arts Center — about an hour away from her hometown of Philadelphia — the singer put on an intimate show, telling stories of her struggle to make it in the music industry, imparting words of advice and creating a strong connection to the audience.

At Saturday's show, Scott, with her Afro blown out, strutted onstage wearing a brown dress and sunglasses to perform a faster-paced, funkier version of "A Long Walk." Swaying back and forth, and backed up by three female singers and a six-man band, Scott belted out her tune about Mr. Right before getting a loud roar from the crowd by asking, "Are y'all here?" "Don't be ashamed to have a good time," she later said.

Scott's fans took heed, clapping their hands in unison to the mid-tempo rocker "Slowly Surely." "I don't know where I should go," Scott dramatically sang, sounding truly confused about a relationship. "I'm gonna love me, baby."

Her band and backup singers then went into the chorus of A Tribe Called Quest's "Find a Way": "Now you caught my heart for the evening/ Kissed my cheek moved in, you confused things." Scott followed by singing it a cappella. "Should I just step back or come harder?" she asked the spectators, walking back a few paces. "Come harder!" everyone yelled back, setting off one of the night's many highlights, "One Is the Magic #."

Spanish horns kept the crowd bouncing as Scott sang the inspirational tune: "If you want to make a change in your life, start by looking in the mirror." The crowd joined in with a unified show of support, backing Scott up on the chorus, singing "There's just me, one is the magic number." Scott pulled a P. Diddy while her fans sang, chiming in with ad-libs, telling them to "revel in that sh--."

"Do You Remember" seemed to be another audience favorite, as fans started singing along as soon as the first chord played. Scott amused herself by teasing her thousands of backup singers — as they tried to join her singing the verses, Scott would throw them off, holding a note or taking longer to come in with a word. In the middle of the song she broke down the inspiration for the lyrics, noting that she had met a "brotha" who had forgotten where he came from.

"Hold on to your culture," she warned. "Some people get lost in somebody else's sauce."

At this point, the singer was on a roll giving her words of wisdom. "I sent out the music alone, no pictures, no bios, because music was the most important thing," she said of her struggles with trying to secure an album deal. She then told of how label execs loved her songs but wanted her to make changes, like losing weight and switching hairstyles. She related that to people of all professions in everyday life and advised, "When that situation arises, kindly say f--- ya!"

"Gettin' in the Way," which came toward the end of the set, was filled with theatrics. Scott literally acted out the song, which is about her boyfriend's ex trying to cause waves in her relationship.

"Sugar honey girl, fly, fly away ... don't know how much more I can take," she sang while grimacing and gritting her teeth.

Scott then stepped away from the mic and mimicked the confrontation between her playa-hating adversary, at points balling up her fist. Her backup singers left their positions and held her back while she began taking off her earrings and later calming down, mouthing the words, "I'm cool! I'm cool!" When she returned to the mic, the band, which is called Fatty Taffy, turned up the tempo three paces and added a Caribbean tinge. Scott started dancing, imitating James Brown and doing a variation of the Harlem Shake.

As everyone sang along with the would-be finale, "The Way," it looked like Scott would finish her show strong. As the lights started to go up and she walked offstage, though, the audience was not satisfied and called for her to come back.

She came back on and began her new single, "He Loves Me." "You woo me, you please me ... you invite me, you co-write me," she gently sang. Scott unveiled her new club remix of the cut, which has a go-go flavor.

Fans who haven't seen Scott perform will get the chance to feel the experience when she releases a live album in November, which will include a few new tracks. After her tour finishes on August 29 in Toronto, she'll begin preparation for her performances on both days of the "Michael Jackson: 30th Anniversary Celebration, The Solo Years" show September 7 and 10, according to her publicist.

Scott, who is on the new Isley Brothers LP and will also be on Busta Rhymes' upcoming album, will then take some much-deserved time off before beginning work on a new studio album before year's end, her publicist said.