I'm New Here

Without doubt one of the most important voices in 20th century music, Gil Scott-Heron's landmark albums of the 1970's, and work with long-time collaborator Brian Jackson have influenced a myriad of musical styles from rap, acid jazz, neo soul and spoken word jazz. This latest album, and unfortunately his last, expertly produced by XL founder Richard Russell, placed Scott-Heron's keenly observed, biting spoken word narratives alongside sparse, modern musical backdrops which reference touchstones as diverse and relevant as dubstep, electronica and of course, modern hip-hop. Politically as relevant as ever, as well as humourous, melancholy, and hopeful, this is the work of a vibrant, subtle poet of protest, still able to manipulate the traditions of a stylistic oeuvre he helped create into something warm, original and full of gravitas. He definitely left us with a high point of his amazing career.