Winter in America

"Four more years..."

Es ist eine reduzierte Mischung aus Soul, Jazz und politischer Lyrik, die atmosphärisch stark ist, aber nicht immer dramaturgisch trägt. Die sozialkritischen Texte wirken zeitlos und Stücke wie „The Bottle“ stechen klar hervor, doch insgesamt bleibt das Album stellenweise zu zurückgenommen und verliert zwischendurch an Spannung. Trotzdem ein wichtiges Werk seiner Ära, nur nicht durchgehend fesselnd.

Гіл Скотт-Херон це моя любов, причому як ранній, так і пізній матеріал. Можливо його останній альбом я люблю найбільше, але і тут клас. Кайфовий джаз\соул, політизовані тексти.

Solo he encontrado una lista en Youtube para intentar oírlo. Sonaba bastante bien, pero al no poder seguir bien por donde iba no he podido disfrutarlo. No sé cómo puntuarlo. Lo dejo en un 2.

This is exactly what I signed up for. Something I'd never even been aware of that turns out to be a gem.

Just great jazz piano playing with a soulful voice singing great lyrics.

Never heard of it before and suddenly it's a favourite.

Interesting... I liked the spoken word moments better than the sung moments—and unfortunately, there was a lot more singing than speaking. "The Bottle" was a lot of fun, and "H2Ogate Blues" was another high point, highlighting Scott-Heron's political poetry. I can absolutely see the influence he had on hip hop. Some of the flute and bass work throughout this album is wonderful. But I found side one to be uninteresting at best, and irritating at worst. So, some good, some bad. Certainly deserving of its entry on the list. A solid 3 for me.

Nooit naar Gil Scott-Heron geluisterd, en dat bleek een grote fout. Wat een plaat. De man is duidelijk niet de beste zanger, maar z'n muziek is zo levendig en scherp. 'Winter in America' (het nummer in bijzonder) is helaas actueler dan ooit.

Niet op streaming, dus tijd om deze plaat te pakken te krijgen.

Winter in America is a record that earns its place in the canon without quite earning a permanent spot in the rotation. The musicianship throughout is genuinely strong — Brian Jackson’s flute and piano work give the album a warm, jazz-inflected intimacy that keeps it from feeling like a lecture, and the production’s lo-fi rawness adds authenticity rather than detracting from it. When the music and the message are fully integrated, the results are compelling.
“The Bottle” is the clearest example of that integration working at full power. The groove is deep and unhurried, the social commentary is woven into the fabric of the song rather than delivered from a podium, and the whole thing moves with a confidence that makes Scott-Heron’s cultural importance feel lived-in rather than historical. It’s the track that most clearly shows what this collaboration was capable of.
The sticking point is the spoken word format itself — not a flaw in Scott-Heron, who has a genuinely cool voice and important things to say, but a fundamental mismatch with how this particular listener engages with music. When the groove steps back to make room for the poetry, the attention drifts. The music is at its best as a conversation, not a backdrop.
A respectful three — important, intimate, and occasionally brilliant, but ultimately a record to admire more than inhabit.

It was alright. Don't remember too much to be honest.

I feel that I was not in the proper headspace to hear this. It is a great soul record of its own right yet I do not enjoy it as much as I do 'Pieces of a Man'.

7/10 [KEEP]

I thought it was an awesome album, it's neo-soul it's afro-jazz. It's protest, but it's also grounded in experiences.

Enjoyed this one. What a wild time it was when Gil Scott-Heron wrote these songs. Glad that as a society we’ve sorted out all those problems and learned our lesson….

Soulful, jazzy, political,
Wouldn’t say I was blown away on first listen but I’ll definitely come back and listen to this again

Pretty nice.

4.5 stars

Smooth sounding jazz (both the music and the singer's voice itself). While it does have its groovy moments, it's just not for me.

2.33

Loved this one of course. Curious to hear what else this guy's done

A solid soul album. It's maybe not the best out there but it's good enough. A little slow and simple at times but otherwise great lyrics, great keys. Great bass lines. Not really a lot more to say about this one, I don't think it was exactly groundbreaking or worth listening to all the time but I liked it enough for today. 3.5/5 but rounding down because it doesn't make it to 4.

Beautiful