Gil Scott-Heron - Gil Scott-Heron

For those of you who don’t know about Gil Scott-Heron (and I’m sure there are many), he’s a beat poet of sorts who emerged in the early ‘70s with socio-political diatribes blended to soul, blues and African sounds (The Revolution Will Not Be Televised being his most famous track) whose incisive commentary is credited as being a major influence and forebear on early rap. After spending much of the noughties in prison (on cocaine-related charges), XL Recordings boss Richard Russell (who signed The Prodigy amongst other things) coaxed him back into the spotlight, blending his vocals with some daring sonics that make for a captivating blend.
 
Where his authoritative tones once warned of a world slowly turning to rot and of the perils of modernity, society and politics, his wizened voice is now scarred with gravitas, a heavy tone invoked both by his stretch in prison and a  “told you so” tone, saddened by his own prophetic lyrics becoming more of a reality over the years. Listen to his classic We Almost Lost Detroit from back in the day and hear how it resonates more than ever.
 
At its best, this succinct album offers something truly unique. A legend of black music – a pioneering, inimitable one – meddling with all sorts of gloomy sonic backdrops, mirroring a world in decay around him. The ominous, plodding, murky bass throb and grunting sounds of Where Did That Night Go? create an incredibly sinister soundscape against his doom-laden tones. It sounds like something that should soundtrack Cormac McCarthy’s The Road.
 
Your Soul & Mine sees electronic trickery add new depth to his distinctive growl, New York Is Killing Me is like Delta blues reconfigured through Lumidee’s Uh Oh hand claps, while tracks like Running and interlude The Cruch  suggest The Bug at his deepest – deep, dubby electronica whose pared-back sound allows Scott-Heron’s yarn-spinning to take centre stage. Subtle effects are added to his voice in places to bring him up to date with modern technology – but at no point in a convoluted or distasteful way. It really is judged incredibly well.
 
There’s still vitality in him, but somehow his tales of woe and suffering are even more affecting now he’s an old man with even more years of difficulty and struggle behind him – his dedication to his mother at the end of the album a more powerful sentiment than you’re likely to hear on any other record this year.
 
[PREVIEW THE ENTIRE ALBUM BELOW]