{"id":153991,"date":"2026-02-06T18:18:07","date_gmt":"2026-02-06T18:18:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/153991\/"},"modified":"2026-02-06T18:18:07","modified_gmt":"2026-02-06T18:18:07","slug":"dallas-musician-works-on-jill-scotts-to-whom-this-may-concern","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/153991\/","title":{"rendered":"Dallas Musician Works on Jill Scott’s To Whom This May Concern"},"content":{"rendered":"

Deonis Cook is no stranger to the power of alignment. His decades-long career is defined by a series of introductions, chance encounters and happenstance. Known for inimitable vocals and one-of-a-kind arrangements, some of these occurrences have led to collaborations with Will Smith, Janet Jackson, Alicia Keys, H.E.R., Pharrell Williams, Kirk Franklin and more. With a resume that reads like Hollywood\u2019s Who\u2019s Who, to all who know him (and particularly those in Dallas<\/a>), he\u2019s just Deonis.<\/p>\n

\u201cDeonis Cook is love,\u201d he tells the Observer coyly, as if piecing it together along the way. \u201cI\u2019m a father, a husband, and just a myriad of essential things \u2014 a gifting of multiple talents. That\u2019s who Deonis is. \u2026I just am. I am.\u201d<\/p>\n

The 44-year-old artist has come a long way since playfully tapping the keys of his Casio keyboard at age 4. Little did the Dallas native know that his ear for musical melodies and soulful sounds was merely a speck of his gift, one that would usher him around the globe and into the folds of some of the greatest entertainers in hip-hop, R&B and gospel.<\/p>\n

We caught up with him while he was briefly on break from back-to-back rehearsals in Los Angeles. He was gearing up for a slew of performances with one of his mentors and friends, Jill Scott. Climbing to the top floor of the building, the musician captured a sliver of service, eagerly anxious to dive deep into what it\u2019s like for him to work with the notorious \u201cJilly from Philly.\u201d<\/p>\n

Apparently, the feeling is mutual. In anticipation of her upcoming February 13 album, To Whom It May Concern, the multi-award-winning singer, songwriter and actress took to her Instagram<\/a> to personally shout-out Cook, among other collaborators like David Banner, Too $hort, Tierra Whack and others. It\u2019s been 11 years since the release of her last album, Woman, and from a cryptic post bearing \u201cI miss you\u2026\u201d, her fans knew that greatness was soon to follow.<\/p>\n

The first single, \u201cBeautiful People,\u201d is a bevy of sounds, softly blaring \u201970s soul and percussion, light and uplifting, utterly reminiscent of the late Marvin Gaye. Post by post, she began naming her own collective of \u201cbeautiful people,\u201d as if a love letter artfully on display, to which she acknowledged Cook.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis 1st song is called \u2018BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE\u2019. Creating takes a village,\u201d she wrote. \u201cI\u2019m sharing my beautiful people most literally. Deonis, thank you! [He] has been touring for me for at least a decade as one of the pipes, my onstage background vocals. Das my sugar. We\u2019ve seen so much world together. When I realized a spice was missing for To Whom It May Concern at the last minute, I called Deonis for flavor. That ear yo!\u201d<\/p>\n

Church Influence Goes Beyond Sound<\/p>\n

His ear is undeniable. It was one of the many talents he honed while performing with the Grammy Award-winning choir, God\u2019s Property, in his teens, and then further finessed as he worked with Donnie McClurkin, Fred Hammond, Kirk Franklin and many more gospel greats.<\/p>\n

\"\"Deonis Cook has worked with a stacked slate of musicians, including Alicia Keys, pictured above.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat church influence, it\u2019s not just about music. It\u2019s about relationships. You know, meeting people that you don\u2019t know if they\u2019re gonna be in your life later, and then they eventually show back up, that whole circular thing,\u201d he says. \u201cThose experiences honed my artistry and my gift. I don\u2019t ever look at those times as bad. It was an amazing experience [from there] to where I am today.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite an incredible trajectory, there was a time, he admits, when he was ready to close the door on music for good.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had moments where I was like, \u2018I give up. I quit\u2019,\u201d he says. \u201cI didn\u2019t want to do music anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n

That changed when a chance phone call in 2013 from musician Thaddeus Tribbett, brother to Grammy-winning gospel artist Tye Tribbett, reignited the passion that had soothed Cook\u2019s soul since the press of that first Casio key. Four years had passed since Tribbett had uttered that they should work together, and now he proffered Cook the chance of a lifetime to audition and sing with Jill Scott.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was hard for me to accept that this was happening because it just came out of nowhere,\u201d he recalls. \u201cBut that doubt turned into a flight, and then I ended up going to Philadelphia. They gave me things to expect from her, like how she was gonna challenge me, and, you know, those types of things. So they start playing a chorus, and I start beatboxing, and everybody\u2019s like, \u2018Yo, this is different.\u2019 Jill tested me, and she loved it \u2014 she loved me. We\u2019ve been rocking together for 12 years this year. I wouldn\u2019t trade it for anything.\u201d<\/p>\n

As Scott was in the studio recording her latest album, there was a particular sound she needed that only Cook could deliver: a choir arrangement. Admittedly a \u201clast-minute\u201d request, Cook dove deep into his roots, once nurtured by his time with Kirk Franklin, God\u2019s Property and even Kanye West\u2019s Sunday Service, to dish out the request. Although Cook is totally mum on the track\u2019s title, when you hear a chorus, just know that Deonis did it. In the words of Jill Scott, \u201cDeonis arranges choirs, honey.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDeonis Cook showed up as a \u2018suggestion\u2019 so long ago that I can\u2019t recall who originally suggested him,\u201d Scott told the Observer. \u201cI remember him being quiet, but eager to assist. I love a team player and adore someone willing to try a \u2018different tactic\u2019. Deonis knows sound and how to make color with it. It\u2019s a fun environment working with him; all the while, he\u2019s 100% professional. Great talent. Great heart. Awesome friend.\u201d<\/p>\n

In addition to the arrangement, Cook laid vocals for the forthcoming album. From the jazzy, bass beats of \u201cPressha\u201d to the passionately playful groove of \u201cDon\u2019t Play,\u201d Scott is back, giving us all the sweetness and feels of \u201cGrandma\u2019s yams, with the marshmallows on top, pineapples and candied pecans.\u201d For now, Cook presses on. He\u2019s silently working on his own music and is on a mission to bring back \u201cnostalgic\u201d R&B<\/a>. He\u2019s tapping into the \u201cboy-band\u201d resurgence with a new group called Freeman, in addition to dropping his latest single, \u201cSunday to Sunday.\u201d<\/a> The catchy tune bears all the vibes of an \u201980s sultry and steamy mix, along with noticeable influences by the Force MDs and Song by the System\u2019s \u201cDon\u2019t Disturb this Groove.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI have this thing with nostalgia and feelings,\u201d Cook says. \u201cThat\u2019s what \u2018Sunday to Sunday\u2019 is pretty much about. It\u2019s a reminiscing type joint, where you can roll your windows down and drive down the Pacific Coast Highway and listen to it, while the sun is setting and while looking at the ocean.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

We remind him playfully that he lives in Dallas. <\/p>\n

\u201cOr you know, driving around the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge,\u201d he laughed. \u201cAnd be stuck for three days.\u201d<\/p>\n

So just like Scott\u2019s debut album title in 2000 asked, Who is Jill Scott?, we flipped the script once again and asked, who is Deonis?<\/p>\n

\u201cArt is evolution, and music is evolution. You can\u2019t stop it from becoming what it\u2019s going to become at the end of the day,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

So maybe that\u2019s just it. Deonis is evolution.<\/p>\n

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