Winter in America

The album is not offered by my streaming service. I have listened to a few tracks that have been released on other albums by the musician. Scott Heron has a good voice. I liked some tracks, others less. Overall, however, this is very exciting. I'll certainly listen to it again.
4/5

Relaxed and warm jazz ambience from the piano, with a touch of 70s funk from the keys and electric organs. Woodwinds add a classic 40s element both tonally and to the harmonies - but god I hate flute noodling. The jazz crooning vocals get pretty grating at times. Higher tempo songs with a strong bass parts popping along and melodically connecting the changes are much stronger than the slow ones that just dwell in washy unresolved chords. They're playing with the contrast between the form/content: loungey vibes and funky fusion are the delivery mechanism for GSH's angry portraits of the persistent injuries to Black life post Civil Rights era and poetic condemnations of the failures of the imperial American state. The point of the contrast being that the backing music is drawing from and adding to the deep well of Black creative tradition that expresses that and transforms it to something sustains and inspires nonetheless. A poetry album that paves the way for the wordy native tongues school of 90s hip hop and backpack rap to follow (lets not talk about the thousands of cringe slam sessions too).

Favorites: The Bottle, Peace Go With You, Rivers, H20 gate blues

Wildly inconsistent in terms of quality and was such a chore to listen to

Definitely lives up to its title as an album with a very wintery feel. It didn't hit me with any particular standouts but it's a pleasant listen overall.

Great piano shit. No real standout tracks though except maybe H20gate Blues lmao

I’ll have to come back to this one later—on a second, third, or fourth listen… the moment I heard it wasn’t ideal, and this is certainly the kind of music that should be enjoyed at a leisurely pace, in the comfort of a nice sofa, with a drink in one hand and maybe even a book in the other!

It definitely deserves another listen - I promise ;-)

Erinomainen levy! Kiinnostavia tekstejä ja hienoa leikittelyä musiikkielementeillä ja tyyleillä. 4/5

"And there are 3,000 shades, And if you take these 3,000 shades and divide them by 6, you will come up with 500 Meaning there are at least 500 shades of the blues"

I really disliked this album, it was tiring at times, distracting at others, and overall the sound did just not mesh well for me. I enjoy instrumental jazz as much as the next guy, but adding vocals ontop can really ruin the listening experience for me, especially if they're slow, pervasive, and not melodic.

1/5

Incredible musicianship and interesting juxtaposition of GSH's poetry in the jazz improv context. Different from anything else I've heard recently. A bit "of its time" while still being relevant. A lot of music about Black culture is acclaimed, but did we not get the point? It doesn't seem like the world has changed at all in the 50 or so years since this.

It's quite a chill time. He's got a great voice. It's just a bit slow.

Winter In America is an okay album and it definitely has its good moments and i like how one of the songs felt like an improvised comedy section. The music for the most part worked well but could be a bit annoying at times. I think that this album is pretty decent and is definitely worth listening to
Best Song: The Bottle
Worst Song: Peace Go With You, Brother (As-Salaam-Alaikum)

Wasn’t on Spotify so had to listen through YouTube music, with adverts which really ruins the experience. Liked the vibe of this album, on I’ll comeback to if it ever appears on Spotify

Brilliant, genius, lyrically and musically flawless.

Not sure why this is on the list or why I had to listen to it. Every song sounds the same, and they're not anything I would ever choose to listen to again. Except the spoken word H2Ogate which at least sounded different (but still wasn't good.)

Absolutely gorgeous. I was a little wary with the first song, but the album pulled me in extremely quickly and rarely let go. It is an utter travesty that this is unavailable on any steaming services, because I want to listen to this constantly.

Fijn ook dat Leo R. zeker wilde stellen dat ik het laatste nummer zou horen....Verder is het soms wat zeikerig, soms zeer ok. Het wordt een beetje uitmiddelen. Kom ik op een 2,5. Ik moet voor deze lijst wellicht wat schappelijker zijn / mijn verwachtingen bijstellen. Ik rond het af naar een voldoende.

Soul filled hammond and a reverence that speaks to the lyrics is how it opens and it is captivating. This piano on Rivers Of My Fathers is wild. Dude what a wholesome and uplifting album. OH THE WATERGATE BLUES IS THE BEST! wow what a great musical expression.

More familiar with "Pieces of a Man" but I think I enjoy this more, for both the musical arrangements and the singing.

I was just about to give up when 'H2O Gate' came on and I realized I had heard this artist before and that I liked his other spoken word pieces (namely 'The Revolution Will Not Be Televised'). His spoken tracks have popped up on the radio from time to time, but I never heard them attributed to an artist's name. I'm glad to now have a name and to be able to make the connection back to LCD Soundsystem's 'Losing My Edge' track.

But, back to 'H2O Gate'... I didn't really enjoy the majority of this album.
While the tracks did have a nice chill vibe and the keyboardist (I'm assuming Gil) has got some great chops, the flow and tonality and lyrical content all felt off. 'H2O Gate', on the other hand, felt perfect. It cleverly and deftly pulled me into focus and then set my mind sprinting to keep up. The message was urgent, eloquent, thought provoking and enduring. The pacing was exciting, and I am sure that I only scratched the surface of understanding all that was said.

I will need to revisit this album somewhere down the road and see if it lands differently with me then. For now though, outside of one brilliant track, I just couldn't connect with what was happening enough to enjoy it much.

I love Gil Scott-Heron but haven't listened to this one. It's fantastic though. The piano playing is incredibly beautiful and really complements his voice. Another for the vinyl list!