Winter in America

His previous album, Free Will, was a letdown. As a solo musician, Gil's music is great for a moment, and okay to decent in the long stretch. The addition of Brian Jackson fixes and elevates the problems by creating great lyrics alongside perfectly fitting atmosphere.

It's still very much political, but this album feels much more bluesy in its presentation. The piano is mellow, yet feels very melancholic, and alongside Gil's passionate vocals, it creates a powerfully cold atmosphere. Of course, there is some spoken word poetry, the H2Ogate Blues, but they don't feel forced, and fit very well into the urbanistic landscape of the album.

If you don't like his previous outings, you won't like this one. At the end of the day, it's a continuation of the sound he created from the moment he stepped onto the scene: conscious and powerful social commentary. If anything, this one is even more weary and emotional than anything he has done up to that point. If that's not your vibe, brother, "Peace go onto you" and move on.

neloš džez album s mjestimice recitiranom poezijom, fora. sumnjam da ću ponovo slušati, ali drago mi je da sam preslušao

[odslušao i napisao 25/10/26]

THIS is what I came to this project for. Thought provoking, musically challenging while being rewarding.
I wouldnt necessarily say I love this but I appreciate what it is.

An incredibly awkward and kind of boring album by an incredibly talented and passionate singer

Pretty disappointing tbh

The bottle was okay and H2Ogate blues was pretty interesting

2

Interesting album! Any fellow Kendrick listeners might have perked up at track 1 like I did, recognizing the sample for Poe Mans Dreams (His Vice). It definitely had my full attention from there!

Unfortunately, while Gil's singing is properly soulful, it feels strangely at odds with the enchanting jazz instrumentals at times. The mixing doesn't help; listening with headphones is almost an uncomfortable experience because his vocals come in so damn loud compared to everything else.

Still a solid listen overall though, and I really want to like it more because it does have a lot of elements I usually enjoy.

Standouts: Peace Go with You, Brother (As-Salaam-Alaikum) • Back Home • H2Ogate Blues

Really pretty songwriting and signing and music, but they don't always gel all the time. This is exactly my vibe of music tho, loved the Watergate song

This was a bit more lounge jazz and less proto-hip-hop than I was expecting based on the Gil Scott Heron songs I know. The Bottle (which I had heard before) is a banger though.

Incredibly dull for most of the album. The bottle was a lot more energetic and h2oblues was enjoyable. I thought the last song was also pretty good but the album had already ended and some other song by this guy was playing which was significantly better than everything on this album.

USA, 1973: presidential corruption, unjust war with American aggressor, affordability crisis, soaring gas prices

USA, 2026: presidential corruption, unjust war with American aggressor, affordability crisis, soaring gas prices

Neat.

This needs another listen. I was unfortunately a bit distracted this morning and I didn't listen as close as I wanted to

Such a beautiful, educational, and poignant album.

Slow to grab my attention but I liked it by the end.

No notes. The album said everything that needs to be said.

His Album was not available on Spotify, so I listen to other songs by him. I did not know if he’s the one that did The Revolution Will not be Televised.

The Good: Knowing we aren’t alone this winter…
The Bad: It’s fucking summer here…
The Ugly: Hyphened last-names… too progressive!

Yeah, the above is a direct nod to Hot Tube Time Machine… which is a lovely movie about a bunch of friends who travel back in time, when things were more fun…

Not this album… It let’s us travel in our mind, and makes us ponder, to a certain extent, what we are doing…

I really like the album, and yet, I have very little desire to listen to the album with much frequency… maybe because this is not the kind of album you play as background music during a party…

I do have a desire to go buy one of his books…

4*

One Poet + One Jazz Pianist - maybe not the two together. I love protest music but what makes protest music last, is its timelessness - not sure this record shouldnt have been left behind in the with Watergate. Brian Jackson though has some grooves.

What a total pain to track down since it’s not on the main streaming apps, but honestly, it’s worth the hunt. There’s something so special about the way Gil Scott-Heron’s deep, gritty voice locks in with Brian Jackson’s Rhodes piano. It’s just pure chemistry. Tracks like "H2Ogate Blues" and "Your Daddy Loves You" hit hard, and you can’t talk about this one without mentioning the classic groove of "The Bottle". Sure, the production is pretty stripped-back and his vocals aren't polished in the traditional sense, but don't let that put you off. The songwriting is so sharp and socially relevant that it still feels vital today. A total masterpiece, plain and simple.

This was a good enough album without anything overly standing out for me. Faded into the background at times.

Top Track - The Bottle

Annoyingly not available on AM or Spotify.
GSH tries his hand at heartfelt jazz, and does a passably good job. You can feel the lived experience in the lyrics and the way he sings them, and the electric piano makes you feel like you’ve been transported to a 70s lounge bar.

People rightfully point to Scott-Heron & The Last Poets as the progenitors of hip-hop, but Gil is the more explainable & precedented phenomenon in that he's carrying on the legacies of folk like Marvin Gaye, Curtis Mayfield, & Sly Stone. Never a great singer, he yet doesn't need to be, nor does he have to be a great lyricist, even tho the lyrics are more front & center than the voice. This is a record/an artist of religious vivacity, + a keyboardist in Brian Jackson w/ enuf Jarrett & Monk in him to distinctly impress. 'Rivers of my Fathers / Could you carry me home?' Afrocentrism certainly didn't begin w/ Heron, & he's not only that kind of artist ('A Very Precious Time'), but one's gotta count him amongst the best movers of those perspectives.

I listened to this YouTube playlist, not even sure if the tracklist is correct: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSSNXW9EANA&list=PLDIxWXRU4UDpUpAB4vMTUroYuvodq118L
Felt like a weird open mic/musical/adlib thing. Was ok, 3*