Winter In America

I can see where this would hit. But to my ears, this is very boring smooth jazz. Not for me at all. BIG exception to this: H2Ogate Blues. There’s a reason Gil Scott-Heron is better known as a beat poet than as a singer. Sadly relevant today.

Hmm. Gil Scott-Heron is definitely strongest while doing spoken word. I first encountered him on MBDTF. H2Ogate is absolutely hilarious and kept my attention despite featuring no singing. I wish the whole album was like that. However, when he sings he is off key and the vocals are mastered so loudly that they obliterate the jazz accompaniment and it makes for an odd experience.

*H20Gate is a fantastic blues/spoken word track *The rest is a little too mellow and soulful for me to really enjoy- I needed a little more funk and faster tempo *Still a very important record in history

Respect for the music and message. The more things change..., but they haven't, have they?

4.5! Loved it could just skip the last spoken word track

H20Gate is exceptional and sadly relevant today in 2026.

6/10… jazzy / blues / funk / *1974

Disco traz canções simples, até convencionais, mas com interpretações agradáveis. Destaque para as partes de piano.

I learned about Gil Scott-Heron in the 90s from some of his poetry that was published in the Outlaw Bible of American Poetry - a compendium designed specifically for my teenage ass. Such a great example of the ways the 70s influenced the 90s. This is essential in a way that the youngsters may not ever understand. Pivotal to soul, hip-hop, protest, Black identity. Critical listening. Still, I think Pieces of a Man is the better album.

I like it. Nice mix of social aware soul and somewhat loose smooth jazz. And without getting political, this was 74, over 50 years. Don't give me any enlightened presentday crap. 3 star

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]

More late night come down crooning than political fireband, but still deep soul

Didn't love it, a little too abstract

*** for Winter in America I’ve increasingly found a place in my listening life for music like the quieter moments on this album. It can come off a little hokey in its earnestness at times, but I have a feeling with the right incense burning and some shag carpet between your toes, this album would make a lot more sense to you less attuned honkies. The band can clearly groove - wish they’d had a little bit more of a chance to - but the keys are top notch throughout, and I dig the Rhodes.

This album was boring as shit. The revolution not being televised album was the obvious choice. Not enough soul or funk to be on this list. 2 stars 5.9 out of 10.

Man, I feel like Whitey saying this, but I'm just all the way out on this album. What happened to all that Black Power on The Revolution Will Not Be Televised? This feels like Black Power took a nap after eating too much cornbread. Maybe I'm just tired today, but I need a lot more energy if I'm going to listen to jazz. Most of this just sits in this laid-back pocket without doing anything particularly interesting. Gil sounds like he's barely hanging on to the key half the time, and the organ arrangements remind me of those 1970s Charlie Brown Thanksgiving and Halloween specials. It's not necessarily bad, but it's just not doing much for me. There is some good stuff here, though. The basslines are interesting, particularly on "The Bottle," which has a genuinely infectious groove. And then there's "H2Ogate Blues," which is legitimately great. The basswork is fantastic, and this is the Gil Scott-Heron I want on every track. Angry, funny, sarcastic, politically charged, and actually doing something interesting musically. What's fascinating about "H2Ogate Blues" is that it's simultaneously the most extreme mid-1970s thing imaginable and somehow completely current. America is still blind, it still feels like '38, we're still bombing people, prices are still soaring, and we're still asking what really happened with J. Edgar Hoover. Or is it Jeffrey Epstein now? King Richard becomes King Donald. Beneath that cesspool, drain the swamp, Watergate. It's the same political circus with a different cast of characters. It follows a pattern, if you dig what I mean. Fifty-two years later, and it feels like we haven't learned a goddamn thing. Unfortunately, the rest of the album just doesn't come close to matching that energy. I appreciate the political consciousness and the musicianship, but appreciating something intellectually isn't the same as enjoying listening to it. "H2Ogate Blues" almost makes the rest of the album more frustrating because it demonstrates just how compelling Scott-Heron can be when everything clicks. Maybe I just caught this one on the wrong day, but outside of a couple of tracks, winter in America put me to sleep. 4.1/10

Jazzy and funky, worth going back to

I really like his voice. Modern day version there is a hip/soul guy called Count Bass D that I dig. Sad and bleak like an early 70's movie.

I'm here for the spoken word poetry

It aight

Avery enjoyable and interesting album. I have heard of the artist before but only by some songs not any albums. Pleasant surprise.

Bit of a snoozefest, not bad at all musically, but what music there is is buried behind a singing voice that I'd much rather hear speaking if you know what I mean. A shame as I love The Revolution Will Not Be Televised - and since it's not coming up in this list, this is as good of an opportunity as I may ever get in my whole life to praise it, a message that remains clear and relevant amongst the low-stakes political grandstanding that seems to dominate and distract conversation on instant access, high attention-demand, low attention-span, infinitely scrolling, ad-ridden lists of "content" - not that I plan on leading any form of charge anytime soon, so maybe I'm just as guilty if not more so in my own - probably still naively - self-aware way. Perhaps I'll ask ChatGPT to generate me a 2020s edition and contribute to the noise Anyway, cringe-inducing monologuing and ignoring of the original racial intent of TRWNBT song aside, The Bottle was good, H2Ogate blues was good, and I'd have much preferred a whole album of that sort of thing as his strength obviously lies in the spoken word

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

This album absolutely slaps. Need to listen to this a lot more.

There were some interesting points during this record but unfortunately for me they didn’t outweigh the full parts. The introduction to H20gate blues is amazing and definitely should be listened too.

Muy tranquilo, pero muy bueno. Me gustó que fue una constante sensación de paz (lo digo para lo instrumental, no la letra).

This was a great album to chill out to. I enjoyed the singing the most on the first track and the keys throughout the entire thing. There are a couple of songs where the vocal sounds a little rough, and it's a little distracting but not too much. I probably wouldn't play H20Gate very often, but I enjoyed hearing it once. All-in-all a very strong album.

I think everyone needs to listen to H2Ogate. Extremely relevant over 50 years later.

Forgettable.

This type of jazz/soul is not really in my daily rotation to be honest. I only know ‘the revolution will not be televisies’ so I had an idea what to expect although that is not on this album. The music is good for a Sunday morning breakfast which is a good coincidence this albums dropped for me on a Sunday. But for me this drags a little too much in a slow downtempo songs.

me gusta lo que escuché pero no es un album que volvería a escuchar de manera recurrente

I can’t really explain why but this kind of reminded me of Sesame Street, which isn’t a bad thing I guess just kind of odd I guess.

chique, muito bom

classudo

I know I gave this as spin but I don't remember it the next day.

Kind of off putting but also endearing like a close friend bearing their soul. Pretty outright political jazzy vibe with a loose format and emphasis on the lyrics, especially at the end with H20gate. Parts brought me back in like the Bottle even if that wasn't part of the original vision. Very interesting at the very least and good to have heard once in my life.

Suspect impactful at the time and interesting in terms of the issues of they and good social insight, but not a great listen musically

Pleasant sounding and some important topics discussed. Not much changed since '73 for the black man in the US unfortunately, it would seem.

Not my thing but I get the concept

Didn't know what to expect from this but it's interesting... not in love with it but glad I listened.

1.5

Yeah I got maybe two minutes into this and immediately knew this was gonna be a 5 from me

Interesting commentary and culturally significant. But overall it comes across as a bit half baked 2.5/5 rounded to 3.

3.0

This is closer to Sui Generis than a genre like Jazz or Soul but it still isn't as good as the sum of its parts

Very important message wrapped up in a bunch of jazz I couldn't get in to. I do thing the last half of the album was much better than the first half. I definitely hear a lot of the building blocks to music I tend to like a lot more.

Without the singing I think this album would have been much better. It felt very jarring and out of place. I really liked the instrumentation. I can tell there is so.e serious quality to the music. But damn, that voice just takes me away from the music

The vocals seemed to over power everything else here, not the biggest fan.

Weird ass Jazz pop soul mix. So strange I’m giving it a 5.

Рассказывают истории под скучный и неинтересный аккомпанемент. Гил в старости звучит намного выразительней

Another album that isn't on Apple Music - sigh. There are some interesting arrangements here and some of it is a vibe, but some of the sing-talking is a little grating after a while. I see why it's considered a major influence on rap and hip hop, and the energy/passion/anger are unmistakable. An interesting history lesson for sure. 3.5/5

Nope. Had to skip H2Ogate Blues because I just couldn't.

I think my preference definitely leans towards upbeat funk-type jazz rather than the solemn, soulful kind. My enjoyment of this album definitely hinged on the energy of the individual track. "The Bottle" for example was very much my thing, though the bass line could have been more interesting, the flute and vocals were great. The start of the album, in contrast, I found a bit dull. The spoken word stuff is just really not my thing, but it was quite well done and the lyrics still made sense and had power today, so I do appreciate it for what it is. Overall definitely not my favourite Jazz album, but it had its moments and it made OK background. Not one I'm going to return to though so going to have to drop it down on that basis.

Very inoffensive jazz, so inoffensive you could call it boring. I'm sure this is great to have on in a cafe or something but it's not an engaging listen for me

Like a soft jazz/soul/blues. Not bad.

It was fine. Didn't grab me.

Really liked H2OGate Blues. Feels as relevant as ever

The Bottle is a great tune. The rest I had not heard before and found it a bit too arty and jazzy. Since realized this is the guy that did the Revolution Will Not be Televised. I'm sure he's had plenty other material sampled in some much more modern tunes, without realizing it. Merit and extra star for the album being on this list, but not doing it for me.

Vocals were good, instrumentation was good. But the combo unfortunately just didn't work for me.

Objectively maybe not a 4 but then i thought to myself- this guy kinda reminds me of Michael Buble, and i would rather listen to this than Michael Buble every day so.

Lovely progressive soul with just a hint of jazz-funk. I love this kind of stuff.

I wanted to like this more than I did. I didn't really think any of it went together.

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

I can’t get over how much I do not like the vocals.

Decent album, wasn't sure what to expect but it was pretty good

Although I'm not a massive fan of this album in the musical sense, the messages it sends out are important. The penultimate track, H2Ogate is an 'of-it's-time' indictment of Nixon's government that would go on to influence rap music. Other songs still resonate strongly and matter today - All of your children and all of our children are gonna have to pay for our mistakes someday - and it's very much a society album. Not so much as favourite songs as favourite messages here - I like a political slaughtering, so the aforementioned H2Ogate is top of the list, along with The Bottle. Musically, I'm not that fussed and I don't think his voice is particularly great, but I can see why this is on the list. 3 stars.

This is easily one of the best albums I’ve heard for laid-back, smooth, and soulful jazz. The vocals are outstanding, and the raw, minimalistic production adds so much warmth and texture to the overall sound. It’s has both intimate and a timeless feel.

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

sorry, found him irritating

So boring. Obnoxious flute. Skipped through most of it.

this hit great with the storm that was going on

Such a talent

3.5 Very cool, could see it growing on me. Scott-Heron’s singing voice is weird. It’s very atonal and blaring. Sometimes a little off key but very intense. He just hits the notes hard.

Unique but too much spoken word, ranting, preaching for me. Still enjoyed it because different but yeah not for me.

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.

As the title suggests, Winter In America is a slow (jazz), depressing, grey (blues) album. It hits all the buttons to make The 1001 Must Hear List; political unrest, substance abuse, and the spoken word. The Bottle (top track) and H2Ogate Blues are prime examples. A bit dated but certainly list worthy. (2.2*s) Scott-Heron & Jackson make a good duo.

Rough start to the Winter In America, picks up on Side B with a little funk and drum work. "The Bottle" is top track but I think "H2Ogate Blues" probably assisted with the album's success. Wild to hear the unrest with the "cesspool" government of the 70s when you compare with that of today's. Hate to think what it will be in another 50 years. Overall, this record was a little boring but different. The stripped down sound is not jiving with me but if this influenced hip-hop, I'll give Scott-Heron a fist-bump. Still not ranking too high at 1.61 stars...take a gill, Gil.

While I wasn't huge on any of the individual musical segments, I can see why this album is on the list. I imagine Winter In America struck a chord in 1978 and provided some fitting social commentary at the time of its release. It has the gravity to tackle some heavy topics while preaching an overall message of peace so I can see why it would be held in high regard from a critical standpoint. It's got quite a few minimalist spoken word sections which only get the listener so far nowadays. It does pick up some steam after a couple of songs and hits its peak with the middle musical tracks in Back Home and The Bottle. I didn't hate my time with Winter In America but I also don't expect I'll ever hear this again. I can understand why it endures within hip-hop and neo-soul samplings. It's a tough album to put a number rating to because the subject matter, artistic approach and what the project likely meant to its audience is wholly separate from whether I enjoyed the music or not. 1.63 stars

Snooooorrrrrreeeeee 2/5

Rivers Of My Fathers

First song sounded promising, but it all went down from there. Jazzy, and bluesy more than soul - it didn't move me much..

Oddly the groove and the message really resonated with me

Brilliant stuff, chill R&B/blues. For me it’s kind of background music but in the best possible way, I can enjoy this while doing just about anything or nothing at all. Lyrics bite. Torn between giving this a 4 or a 5. Still not exactly my genre. Basslines clinch it. The Bottle is a great single.

Not my thing

Oh wow, this was great. I particularly liked H2OGate Blues.

I like GSH but I really like him with Brian Jackson. Really nice album.

Я ледь його дослухала

was ok

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.

Virkelig unikt album, jeg er vild med det og Gil stemme, blues, jazz og rap på en gang

Unable to open

Very coll record. Not the biggest jazz guy but in this context it makes it easy to like. Give me some more concise songs with vocals. Count me in on that shit. It goes down so much smoother with those elements. Its obviously not music made for my suburban white ass but I appreciate it all the same. The keys are huge here. They kick ass so hard. Flying all over the place. And sliding in between in places where its needed. Just slalomimg through with masterclass technique. And the vocals fit well too. The more rnb vibes are great. And ive seen some peoplr call this rap, in a way I get it. There are some more spoken word poetry sections and songs. I get it. But im not 100% convinced. Its a bit murky but I get it. Overall im very happy with what ive heard here. Really cool stuff. I love when things im not really into fires me up. Great stuff.

Liked it…for awhile 2.5

I loved much of the music. The singing just didn’t fit for me. His voice is fine but it just doesn’t blend well enough for my ears. In fact, the longer I listened, the harder it is for me to listen. 2

Politics just as relevant now as in the 70's. Loved the spoken word!

not for me

by chance the second gil scott-heron album i've listened to this month and this guy is just so awesome. consistently great, consistently relevant

Smooth and effortlessly cool, this was quite the discovery. I was weary if I would vibe with this, but Gil Scott-Heron's golden voice put any concerns I had to bed. He has a very laid back delivery and can see how he was a massive influence on hip-hop. He is able to be incredibly commanding without having to shout. The lyrics are very powerful and takes aim the government as well as focusing on the experience of being a black man in the US at the time. Adding piano and flute to the mix, the jazz stylings of Brian Jackson further contributed to the mellow vibe. The instrumentation starts out as sparse and gets busier as the album progresses, perhaps as a way to ensure that the listener is hanging onto every word that comes out of Scott-Heron's mouth. I've heard from others that this isn't even one of his best albums, so I look forward to checking out his other albums.

Groove leads you into a protest against social injustice. This isn’t a divisive record, it’s warm and welcoming yet it deals with some serious stuff in a way that is accessible to all. A wonder.

Mostly dull jazz