Winter In America

Hard to find. Incredible slice of history, and unfortunately still applicable. Great messages and great music.

Pretty good listen. It was hot and cold for me as I’m admittedly not and R&B fan but they definitely shifted into funk and blues enough to keep things interesting. It grew on me as the album carried on and won me over with the excellent delivery and clean production. 4 stars

I liked that

- this album was weirdly hard to find on streaming (aka spotify doesn't have it, found on youtube) - yesss jazz piano overall impressions, i really enjoyed this.

A fun and "ear enjoyable" listen. Loved being dropped in to the the 1970's political environment (and hating nothings changed in that regard)

This is an interesting album in their lyrics and the music a little bit too, it isn't a unique genre musically speaking but it is a "songwriter" album. It's relaxing in the music and the voice, however that doesn't means that it talks about something trivial.

Great one!

Rilassante, caldo. Tra il 3 e il 4, troppi discorsi sul watergate

Sounds like something cool you listen to in a jazz bar

I mostly knew GSH as a spoken word artist and it was a delight to get to know him as a vocalist. What a beautiful voice. I'm glad the production was a little spare to showcase it. That being said, my favourite track was H2O Gate Blues.

A great, barebone musing on the state of the land circa 1973. Scott-Heron truly had a way with words and rhythm, as is extremely well showcased on the culminating track 'H20gate Blues' - transporting the listener back to the political landscape of the 70's. But what really makes the record shine is in the collaboration with jazz and soul musician Brian Jackson. On the groovy 'The Bottle' the worlds of spoken word and soul collide and merge to create a strong social commentary.

I doubt you’ll find a more accessible and groovy look into life in the inner cities, the African-American communities and political injustice in the 1970’s than this album. The partnership of Scott-Heron and Jackson as as if blessed by a higher power. What a unique and fresh approach to the whole genre. Scott-Heron proves his mastery of the spoken word on the entertaining “H2Ogate Blues” while I am truly moved by “Your Daddy Loves You”.

Solid jazz album.

The lack of lyrical focus, as in sharpness, is great. It gives the record a driftiness which fits the music just right. The LP form ends up constraining the songs a little bit: I find myself wanting a double album with a musical left turn or a same-length project with fewer jammier songs. Gil Scott-Heron is as musical as I've heard him in these cuts, sometimes personal, sometimes political, but mostly relaxed. Winter In America didn't ask much of me, but it does beckon me back.

Nothing new under the sun.

Not available to listen to so rated on knowledge of GSH's work.

4/5. This is an important album for the Black Experience but there are definitely some misses on the album. I don’t think Gil is a very good singer so extended periods of him just singing is not working for me.

If there were ever an album that we, listening in 2022, can't fully appreciate in regard to its immediacy, honesty, and courageousness, this would be it. I just can't imagine what people thought of this when it landed in 1974. That said, this is a musical form that requires a lot of the listener. It's provocative, and "H20 Gate Blues" is particularly captivating, but after a couple of poem/songs, I found my concentration lagging and found myself missing what Scott-Heron was communicating. Is that on me for not being focused enough? On the performers for not being engaging enough? Is it a challenge of this format? Hell, I don't know. I am familiar with some of Scott-Heron (and Jackson's) material, though I cannot remember the last time I sought it out to listen to. For that reason, I'm glad this is on the list.

A fascinating album, very much describing the times but with relevance for today (how little has changed). Scott-Heron and Jackson craft some brilliant jazz/poetry pieces and the tracks are intriguing and compelling. There are a few sleepy stretches but The Bottle brings back the energy.

The title track still resonates today.

Really cool, as a pianist I really appreciated this album.

Loved it, the voice, the music, the variety.

Lot's of Fender Rhodes is always a win

A nice album, culturally and topically important. I find the music a little elusive on this one, though, even with "The Bottle" in the tracklisting. And I agree with a few reviewers in the comments saying that *Pieces Of A Man* should have had priority on this list, because this other Gil Scott-Heron album was as impressive cuturally speaking as it was music-wise. Number of albums left to review or just listen to: 792 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory: 109 Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 51 (including this one) Albums from the list I will certainly *not* include in mine (many others are more important): 48

Best served with a big spliff and a comfy chair. H2O gate blues is still relevant after almost 50 years

no disponible en mi pais pero gil scott heron esta goated

Personal and political soul music Is soul just blues + jazz + heart? Big vibe Lotta jazz poetry on this one Warm sound to the music "GIL SCOTT-HERON" -LCD Soundsystem (Losing My Edge) H20 Gate Blues was a favorite of mine "Richard Daley: imperial, Napoleonic Mayor of Chicago / Who took over from Al Capone and / Continues to implement the same tactics"

Very enjoyable listen

Great album. Kendrick Lamar might have listen to this album.

I recently got into Gil Scott-Heron's 2010 album "I'm New Here" and it's fantastic. I'm excited to dive deeper into the catalog. UPDATE: This was fantastic! And it was recorded near where I live! H20 Gate Blues was definitely a standout track.

I can now see why folks appreciate Gil Scott-Heron so much. The lyricism is incredible!

Released by strata-east!love the indie jazz,neo soul vibes

Quite a transition from Smashing Pumpkins yesterday.. this one was really interesting! I've always been interested in Gil Scott-Heron, since hearing I'm New Here it was clear he had quite a history with music, and that title becomes more tongue-in-cheek as I listened to Winter In America. It's hard to pick a favorite here from first listen, H2Ogate blues definitely is prophetic in both it's political message and musical style, there are through lines that can be drawn to today's underground rap, the title track is so groovy with that incredible flute solo.. I love the stripped down production, relying on equal parts jazz, Gil Scott-Heron's songwriting, and importantly on negative space Will definitely be revisiting

Very soulful, definitely recognizing some things here that have been sampled and I never knew where they came from until now. That electric piano is really doing it for me.

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

Soulfully chill and a good match for a heavy snow day (seriously there's a winter advisory out there right now). Obviously Winter in America is speaking more to civil rights issues around the time of the album, and thematically it's very strong. Love the Rhodes piano across the album as well. Some vocal points I wasn't into, but overall very good. I can see why some would rate highly.

I really enjoyed this. The slam poetry was the only mark against it, although that was enjoyable in its own way. Best track: The Bottle

Loud and Proud

Stripped-down funk based on Jackson’s jazzy keys and Heron’s social poetry. Very solid!

This was a nice smooth, laid-back kind of light-jazz album. I'm not sure if it's because I could only listen to it on YT but the voice didn't do it for me. I enjoyed more the piano and background music than the lyrics/voice.

wow! So I had skipped this one for months since it's not available on Apple Music. Finally played through it on YouTube today, and was very impressed. So smooth, and so impacting. An amazing glimpse into the soul of the 1979s black man.

Love the stripped back instrumentation. Adds just enough body, but still leaves the focus on Gil's poetry. Think it all works really well together. Favorite tracks: "H2O Gate Blues", "Your Daddy Loves You", "The Bottle"

Hard to get a grasp of this after only one listen. Powerful and smooth at the same time. I need to listen to more of Hill Scott-Heron's work

Having lived thru the timeframe of this album, amazed at the cultural references. Great light jazz, non preachy lyrics. Great for rainy morning drive

Could not find the album on Spotify! Still listened to some of the songs though

This is a nice album. It's a pity that it's not available on streaming services. The voice did become a bit difficult for me to listen to at some point, but overall it's simply a pleasure to listen to. I wish I would've been able to pay more attention to it. But my mind tends to wander with pieces like this. Highlights: The Bottle

7/10. Nice stuff, and always fun to hear a song commenting on what is now a historical event.

Unable to listen to the album as not on Spotify.

One smooth, laid-back album, full of groove and soul. Nice

A forgotten and underrated genius. This is soulful, sprawling and serious. Godfather of hip-hop indeed. Was a pleasure to go deeper with an artist I knew only tangentially.

Chill AF

Really interesting combination of jazz/soul and social commentary. It's not always what I'll look for in a music album but it definitely deserves another listen to fully absorb

Wasn’t any good until the last song.

Very cool, jazzy, bluesy, spoken word, history lesson. Fave: H20gate Blues

“So, there are six cardinal colors: yellow, red, orange, green, blue, and purple. 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.” H2O Gate Blues

Muito bom.

Very interesting use of spoken word and jazz. I really enjoyed it.

Disco en vivo movido y de gran calidad. Mucho diálogo con la gente, que corea las canciones varias veces y le agrega a la experiencia. Buenos arreglos y en general gran groove. 3.5 que suben.

Loved H2Ogate Blues.

Funky

J’adore la sensibilité de Gil Scott-Heron. Cet album est une sorte de chaînon manquant entre plein de choses, dont certaines sont encore à venir. 4/5 à cause d’une certaine redondance dans les styles musicaux.

Who will survive. Gil Scott-Heron met de grote woorden der waarheid over den USA. Prachtig

4.25

Finally got around to listening to this one - absolutely great stuff. The mix of proto-rap with the ethereal flute-heavy free jazz creates a great soundscape

4/5

Huh, the other Gil Scott-Heron stuff I've listened to has been almost entirely spoken word, so it was a surprise there was so much singing on here. There's a lot to enjoy - funk, soul, jazz, and a little of that spoken word I was hankering for... Fave track - "H2Ogate Blues" - that was great, and educational too!

Wow, this was great! Very political, quite old sounding yet still very relevant and beautiful. Reminds me of the great speakers and fighters for racial equality, just with a senseful musical touch added. Very good!

sehr gut und an manchen stellen witzig?

Das war sehr cool. Scott-Heron ist eh ne Legende aber das scheint eher ein Deep cut zu sein und hat mir sehr gut gefallen, vor allem diese crowd interaction und der h20 gate track

heftiges Album

Not available

This was a cool album. I've been meaning to listen to Gil Scott Heron for a long time. The music is cool, if not a bit subdued in order to give more focus to his lyrics. My favorite track was the last one, which was pretty funny while also making a lot of good points. I'd like to come back to this album when I've got more time to focus on what he's saying 4/5

Why is this not on Spotify or Apple Music

Genre: Soul 4/5 Gil Scott-Heron, a man better known as the godfather of rap, being one of the first artists to synthesize black musical soundscapes with spoken word, feauturing some of the more scathing political commentary that was around at the time, is an icon. While this album, a soul-jazz project with jazz keyboardist Brian Jackson, doesn't truly represent Scott-Heron's usual body of work, it serves as a good starting point for what should be an eventual dive into his archives. There are some really tremendous tracks here. The intro Peace Go with You, Brother is a beautiful piece of smooth soul with some really great singing, to elegant jazz blends on The Bottle, to the song you're more apt to see throughout his discography H2Ogate Blues, a blues jam that Gil Scott-Heron floats on top of with his own unique style of elegantly worded, socially conscious, anti-government rhymes. There should be more of this man in this book (this is it, for some reason), and I'm not quite sure why this was the selection the editors made of his, but it's still a damn good album.

Quite hard to find, this one - but worth it, his voice is wonderful as ever here, bluesy, jazzy, soulful - with some strong things to say about the politics of the day. Makes you sit up and listen.

Had to do some digging to find this one, but man did I dig it. I'm really into Heron's work, I feel like we had another album of his on here, but I'm just remembering that I recently bought one from him on vinyl. His spoken-word poetry style, which could at times be characterized as "rap," is really engaging. I love the tracks that are personal or political (most of them to be fair). I know "The Bottle" from being sampled by Knxwledge for "Suede," that's a great track. There's an excellent run of tracks on the back end of this, especially with H2OGate. Really love this, more Gil-Scott Heron would be welcome! Favorite tracks: Your Daddy Loves You, H2OGate Blues, Peace Go With You Brother, The Bottle, Song for Bobby Smith. Album art: Heavy on the framing, but the picture is actually really cool. Love that funky art style. 4.5/5

...unfortunately for me this wasn't available on Apple Music in the States - here's a YouTube playlist if others have the same issue; first 9 songs are the original album: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSSNXW9EANA&list=PLDIxWXRU4UDpUpAB4vMTUroYuvodq118L - - - - Different. Excellent. I really enjoy this - very raw with not a ton of instrumentation; I enjoy Gil's voice quite a bit and it meshes perfectly with Brian Jackson's keyboard sound - perfect compliments to each other. The jazz-soul aspects of this definitely are "of the age" and one might say it sounds dated (and it definitely does) but in this case I like it. Really nice listening musically and lyrically interesting especially on multiple listens; many topics dealing with inner city issues and neglect. "H20Gate Blues" is sort of the outlier musically but still fun to listen to and important - a funny mostly-ad-libbed poem dealing with the then-timely Nixon/Agnew fkery of the country. This is one I'd like to actually find on vinyl - will definitely come back to this one. 8/10 4 stars.

CD muito bom!

The smooth Fender Rhodes electric organ all over this album is absolutely intoxicating. Beautiful warbled textures from start to finish executing deeply soulful cascading chord progressions. Of course Gil Scott-Heron's poetry over the top only adds to the alluring atmosphere here.

Had to download it - not on Spotify. Proper good stuff this - very funky, very groovy and politically on point all these years later

an interesting one

I realized after researching a bit that I was familiar with Gil Scott-Heron through The Revolution Will Not Be Televised. This is great stuff. Super jazzy and bluesy. Loved the piano.

This album is a socially conscious blend of soul and cool jazz that at times seems to predict the eventual rise of rap with Gil Scott-Heron’s spoken delivery. This album is somewhat conversational which lends a sense of intimacy that makes its message effective

3.5/5. Good. Not as good as Pieces of a Man, but certainly a solid album.

It was enjoyable. Good background music; I was listening to it whilst cleaning my room.

Scott-Heron's work seems to me sometimes as not so much music as a sonic art installation, which is maybe a distinction without difference? Interesting to listen too and definitely makes me think but I'm not exactly tapping my toes.

I liked it i think! very jazzy and soulful.

Not bad, not bad. Like: Back Home Did not expect there's a talk show there...

This album is quite enjoyable. The minimalist well played piano coupled with excellent vocals and relevant lyrics really works. 

GSH has such a sweet voice, even when he’s simply speaking it’s mellifluous. I agree that Pieces of a man is a superior album and should have been on this list instead. I also prefer his last album, I’m not here to this. But his influence and artistry cannot be denied.

Timeless good blues/jazz/soul/funk music !

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

Man, I really wanted to like this. I do know about the revolution, even though it wasn't televised. But this one is.. ok. I don't find it annoying or anything. But it's just kind smooth jazzy and nothing in the music grabs me. I mean, it's professionally done, it's just not for me. His lyrics are meaningful and sometimes deep, but I feel it works better when he's got a a higher tempo. The Bottle is decent as the one here that moves the most, but there are better GSH albums. I'm calling it a three, and probably never hear it again.

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

Huh. Didn’t dislike this but just didn’t connect with what they were doing. I guess kind of r&b with some jazz influence? Seemed like he didn’t really write any lyrics and just kind of sang whatever came to mind. I was probably rounding down to a 2 but damn H2Ogate was a speech. Preach. Damn, scary how relevant that ish is today. Change a few names and the world keeps turning. Rounding up for that.

Thought I would like this a lot more. Odd that all his popular songs are from a different album. Not sure why we got this one. Still good enough for a middle of the road rating… I guess. 2.5/5

Blues auf erträgliche Art

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

I hadn’t heard o f Gil Scott-Heron. It was interesting. It reminded me of Leonard Cohen meets Curtis Mayfield with some Isaac Hayes mixed in for fun. His slower songs were very train -of-thought, like A Very Precious Time. I could totally see a Friday night brandy, some smoke and headphones with this on vinyl. My key tracks here were the upbeat ones like Back Home and the Bottle, both of which had the combination of his urban street smart lyrics and great musical skills. The flute, which normally I abhor in songs outside of classical (yep, no Jethro for me), was actually complimentary. This was a fun listen.

Random thoughts: * This is a cousin to Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On". * I think this album gets better upon additional listens. I passively listened the first time while cooking dinner and weird parts jumped out in that setting. Second listen was on headphones while working and I caught way more this time around. * Love the organ sounds on the opening track. * Clearly this is about the downfall of America and it crescendos with H20gate Blues. I need an updated version for today with 1/6/2021 Blues. Who would make this album? Beyonce? Anderson.Paak? * I especially liked The Bottle. Funky and upbeat and easy to grasp what it is about right away. * I've kept encountering Gil Scott-Heron and am glad to be formally introduced via this album. I didn't realize he was the "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" guy. You definitely need to go listen to this one too! * Solid entry to 1001. Glad to hear and learn more about Gil Scott-Heron. He'd be pissed to see hat is happening in America 50 years after his works.

spox 3

There’s a hint of spring tucked inside the cold days of winter. A warmer breeze. A few more minutes of daylight. Small signs of what’s ahead. Optimism begins to stir.

The second listen is better than the first. And the third better still. Some albums you need to meet them where they're at - they're not doing to you. The grooves work better then the slow jams but overall an enticing stew. Tasty flute licks abound and when you are done you can't help but feel you have learned a little something and something...3.5 stars.

A mid to slow paced, sonically sparse, Jazzy and bluesy album. Nothing really wowed me. Three stars. As the link to the album on Spotify doesn't work, it can be found here - https://open.spotify.com/album/2wg5odL4oUsDISjIuNApyK Side one 1 "Peace Go with You, Brother (As-Salaam-Alaikum)" (4/5) 2 "Rivers of My Fathers" (3/5) 3 "A Very Precious Time" (2/5) 4 "Back Home" (3/5) Side two 1 "The Bottle" (4/5) 2 "Song for Bobby Smith" (3/5) 3 "Your Daddy Loves You" (3/5) 4 "H2Ogate Blues" (3/5) 5 "Peace Go with You Brother (Wa-Alaikum-Salaam)" (3/5) Total - 28 Average - 3.1 411/1001 212/411 albums reviewed were new to me

don't forget Brian Jackson! first few tracks sounded the same. picked up the pace a bit then lost interest at 8 minute long talky track. good Sunday morning vibes but probably wouldn't listen to again.

good mix of blues and jazz and funk, though i wouldn't say it excels at any of them. takes a good swing at it nevertheless.

This is one of those albums that is important on this list, as it seems to be both politically conscious of the time (discussing issues that relate (and still relate) to the black community) and influential. However, listening to this album nowadays, it really doesn't sound that special compared to how the sound would have sounded back in 74'. There isn't that amazing moment that blew me away; it's just a nice, easy-listening album.

Not the best Gil Scott-Heron but still decent, The Bottle is really good and I like the bass here

Quiet, pretty and smooth but kind of amateur in a likeable way. Drums that fall off time, bass and keys not quite locking in. Didn’t hate it, but didn’t love it

Solid and I can see how it influenced rap acts to come

I have mixed feelings on Gil Scott-Heron's albums. His best tracks are out of this world good, and he's as important for socially conscious soul as he is for hiphop. Peace go with you brother and Back Home are good examples of this. And The Bottle is absolutely superlative. Watergate is a great spoken word/proto rap track. Torn between a high three and a four on this one. His singles might lift this to a four, I guess, but I'm not convinced this is an absolutely excellent album. It just has excellent tracks. So going high 3. But his slow stuff is painfully slow and whiney for me. A Very Precious Time is an example of that. I just don't have the patience for wrist-slitting tracks like that.

smooth soul jazz plus poetry, not as urgent as Revolution Will Be Televised or Whitey on the Moon. A+ for The Bottle.

The highs make up for the lows. That could be on his tombstone, now that I think about it. Tragic that he would spend so much time in jail. Anyway, my favorite on here by far is H2Ogate Blues, which is legitimately excellent, and The Bottle is pretty good. All of side one should be disregarded with extreme prejudice.

Pretty bonkers.

This is #day732 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… as far as late-night listening goes, this is quite an improvement over yesterday's Iron Maiden record. I'm not a soul kind of person by any means, but I don't mind this one. Jazzy and pleasurable overall. The music really sets the mood. I particularly enjoyed that tiptoeing piano. Nice and delicate. And then there was the spoken-word poetry piece... Not a fan of the vocals, though. This is a 3 out of 5. Looking forward to #day733.

This was really pretty. Very mellow

These songs are long as hell! Alot of soul in this album

A very smooth blues/jazz/soul sound, makes you feel like your in the room. An enjoyable listen.

Amazing voice. Great music to just lounge around to sonically. The message is powerful even today.

Pleasantly surprised by this. I liked his voice and loved the jazzy instrumentation. The political and social commentary was interesting too, especially H2Ogate Blues — it's crazy how relevant some of it still feels 50 years later. Not something I'd necessarily listen to again, but I enjoyed it more than I expected. And the flute kept making me think of Ron Burgundy! 😂

Labeled as R&B/Soul on Apple Music, this is starting out to sound like a jazz record. There’s something about it that screams early 1970’s, which it is. Not sure if Stevie Wonder inspired it or vice versa, but it sounds somewhat similar in theme, although more subdued, and with lesser songwriting ability. H2Ogate Blues is a standout track, incredibly timely despite being over 50 years old. 3.5 stars

I like their sound. It didn’t grip me necessarily, but seems like it would be a fun concert to go to.

Bardzo bym chciała lubić taką muzykę. Ma duszę, ma przesłanie, ma sporą dozę artyzmu. Ale w żaden sposób to ze mną nie rezonuje. Jedyne co czuję prócz nudy to rozczarowanie, że nie jestem na tyle wrażliwa, aby wpaść w zachwyt. 4.5/10 równane w górę, bo dobrze wiem, że tym razem to ja jestem problemem.

Impressive work of art (lyrically, musically, vocally, politically...), simply the genre and instrumentation do not really click with my tastes, so that only a few songs manage to engage me...

its was fine, cool but not super listenable

eeeeokei, 7/10, no auto

Love the piano!

Didn’t listen to it all. The bit I listened to was typically Scott-Heron.

It was a good album. Will I be listening to the whole thing again? Unlikely

Politically charged lyrics tight ass band

Good.

I enjoy Gil Scott-Heron especially his spoken word pieces. Seeing this today was a bit of excitement as I started listening. I heard him singing. He has a good singing voice and the the piano matches his easy singing. These songs are really good and I enjoyed hearing them.

A solid album, but a little sparse and low energy for my taste, especially off the heels of Hot Buttered Soul last week. H20Gate Blues and The Bottle slap

I'm not the biggest fan of the blues but this one was quite enjoyable.

Dafür dass es Jazz ist, echt okay!

Artsy... I hear emotions, but it's a little too minimalistic in sound.

I’m writing this about a week after I listened, so forgive me if details are a bit sketchy… the album has a nice sound that is relaxed and jazzy, a modern comparison is probably Charm by Clairo. H2ogate Blues is a funny take on Watergate too. It was a bit samey though in places, so it possibly lacked more ideas than that relaxed jazzy sound. A good listen, but probably not more than 3*.

This is a solid jazzy soul/blues album, based around the classic piano, bass and drums trio, with occasional flute guest appearances. The lyrics deal with various aspects of mid-70s African-American life, which makes it interesting as a historical piece, although musically I liked but didn’t love it. ‘The Bottle’ was my favourite track, having the best beat, a fantastic bassline, and a cracking flute solo, plus great lyrics examining alcohol abuse, drug addiction, crime, etc. ‘Your Daddy Loves You’ was another highlight. ‘H2Ogate Blues’ was funny, but I’m not really a fan of spoken word tracks. Strong 3 stars.

Some really good R&B and Soul on this. I hadn't heard this before, but really liked it. 7/14/26

Not to get political, but because this album is EXTREMELY political, I'll say that Talking Heads said it best when they said, same as it ever was.

Not sure that I will think oh let’s listen to that again but I liked it.

no lo escuché completo pero me estaba gustando mucho, hasta la mitad me doy un sólido 8/10

Good record. Dug it.

Smooth and groovey, with thoughtful lyrics and interesting vocals. Glad to have listened to it, even if it was a little TOO smooth for my sleepy morning drive.

Very nice album; well done, a pleasant listening experience. The H2Ogate blues song was particularly noteworthy.

I liked this album. Little bit of jazz piano, jazz synthesizer, jazz flute. A lot of variety in the soundscape. Crazy how so much of the lyrical content is still relevant today. Not a huge fan of long talking or lecture sections in any album, no matter how relevant.

2.5 - I'd rate it higher if doing so on just the message and lower if doing so on just my enjoyment of the music.

Ts Don't exist

This album felt serious but beautiful. I enjoyed the instrumentals and lyrics.

I, too, have the H20GATE Blues... Isn't it amazing how history rhymes?

cant listen to the album.. .-.

Easily the best jazz-related LP I've drawn so far. I'm not sure I can explain why - it's just 100% cooler than the usual noodling. Oozing confidence, without ever trying to impress. Contains a lot of the things I usually moan about with this sort of music, but I can't deny I enjoyed listening to this, already being a casual fan of some of Gil Scott-Heron's other work.

Ngl I thought he was a new singer

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

Cannot find

3 - good

A nice soul album. Nothing more, nothing less

6/10 - I couldnt hear the full album due to Spotify restrictions but the few songs i did hear were decent

Watergate Blues sounds like a description of today

This album is as much Brian Jackson as Gil Scott-Heron. Gil had a unique voice but is a bit off at times. The slower songs with Rhodes keyboard are more about the lyrics/ poetry than music and are not that great. The more uptempo and jazz songs with piano are good though.

New to me, pretty good working music

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*

Talented musicians. I loved the song The Bottle. A few other songs were enjoyable, but about half I did not care for.

Couldn't find it on Apple Music.

Scott-Heron isn't much of a singer, but I like the flutes on this a lot, actually. Like a lot of people in the reviews, this one's making me want to revisit Pieces of a Man, an album which I definitely didn't know how to appreciate the first time I heard it. H2Ogate Blues goes a bit more into the spoken-word poetry of that album, and I enjoy it here, so hopefully I'll better appreciate his work in general now.

fine ig

Went back and forth on this one. 3.4.

Review - a good album but not on streaming services which is a pain. Score - 6/10 Need to listen? YES

Okay, I get that the book editors never intended for anyone to actually listen to every album in the book, but now that people are doing so, it would be great if future editions gave some consideration for the accessibility on streaming platforms. This is especially frustrating because it is hard to see his influence on future music in this record. I ended up having to piece this together, one track at a time. In this case it was worth the effort, but it was annoying. I digress. On Winter in America we are treated with “the godfather of rap” who provides thought provoking lyrics delivered over some incredible piano music provided by Brian Jackson. Beautiful and soulful music with a message. This was a good album, but the most interesting part was listening and thinking about its place in music history.

A satisfying listen

Interesting Jazz slash proto rap, that sometimes feels more like a spoken word record with an improvising backing bad. The socially conscious lyrics are very interesting and surprisingly relevant today, but as a music album it doesn't do very much for me.

Some great songs.

This was pretty nice. Not the kind of thing I would normally go for, but a nice listen. some real toe-tappers particularly at the beginning.

Fun voice, interesting stories, cool music behind it. I just wish the musical interludes didn't make me feel like I was hanging out in the backrooms.

I find that this is an extremely rich album with a lot of different elements. Its got gospel, jazz, blues, and probably some others that I missed. Didn’t love it, didn’t hate it but I definitely enjoyed my time with it.

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.

Ok tier

Sympa mais galère de trouver l'album

Good jazz, but his voice is a little too present for me!

Very pretty, but entirely too long.

Na žalost bla primorana poslušat na youtube. Prva polovica albuma se mi je mal blendala together, medtem k prvi komad na Side B, "The Bottle" mi je izstopal. (Velikrat tko vidiš, zakaj so določen komad izbral za single z albuma.) Konkretno izstopal je tud predzadnji komad, k je v bistvu spoken word, "H2Ogate Blues". Mogoč bi me preostali album bolj pritegnil, če bi blo vse spoken word? Ker ta, ta je bla pa res dobra.

Was difficult to find this album. Ended up using YouTube so it wasn’t ideal to listen to in the car. I feel like I need to spend more time with this one to truly appreciate it. It’s smooth and cool and jazzy, but then politically charged and spoken word. Not sure how to rate … not my personal taste, but also objectively interesting and the artist has a lot to say. I’m gonna give it a 3, although it probably warrants a 4. I also understand a lot of folks think this isn’t the most representative music of Sot-Heron’s catalog. The Revolution Will Not be Televised (which I do know and think highly of) might’ve been a better place to start.

Je connaissais que The Bottle et c’est finalement la meilleure, pour le reste c’est sympa mais sans plus (demanderait peut-être une écoute supplémentaire)

really nice

I love Gil Scott-Heron in theory. In THEORY.

un clásico del jazz de podría decir? malísimo que no esté en spotify

I am not a fan of Jazz at all so while the social issues presented are important I don't listen to this style of music much. 3 stars or C.

This album started off well and then it slowed down and dragged on for a bit. The instruments were well played.

It was lacking tempo

DIDNT LISTEN- not on Spotify

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.

This was a cool listen. Very refreshing to hear music done this way. Also doesn’t hurt that it was made in what seems to be the best era for warm sounding music recordings, the ‘70s. Makes me wonder why music like this isn’t more popular or isn’t attempted more. Could be the slight abstraction of it? Or the guts it would take to have a deep set of words and to just go for it with the delivery? But who am I kidding? It’s just the unfortunate truth that most listeners of music are very conservative and at this point in time, have no attention span to appreciate deep abstractions. I only know Gil Scott-Heron from “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised” so it’s great to hear something else and will definitely be looking out for some more material by him and his collaborator Brian Jackson.

It is a 3 because all I can find is a single, but I like Gil Scott-Heron

3.9

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.

Gear: Grado Hemp Artwork: 👁️☀️🧧 Production: 😌👂🧈 Music: 🇺🇸✊🎷 Rating: ❄️❄️❄️/5

LOVE Gil, don’t get me wrong. And there were absolutely parts here that i also loved, but not enough unfortch😥

Pretty good album. A direct example of history repeating itself.

This is more of a poetry reading done to music, favoring more of the message in the poem to the music of the song. While this is usually a turn off for me personally, I feel like this strikes a political message which we need more of today. I probably won't be revisiting this anytime soon, we need more outcry and dissent over what is happening in the world today.

Started off a bit meh, once I got into it it was a surprise how much I enjoyed this

It's a soul-ful album and definitely a politically charged album. I love the keyboard sound. I also like that some of the track sound like the kind of jazz where I wouldn't expect to have vocals, but there are vocals and they fit.

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

Huge bump up for H20gate Blues

This is a hard one to rate for me. It’s not really my cup of tea, but it is very important.

Peace Go with You Brother (As-Salla-Alaikum) - 4/5 River of My Fathers - 2.5/5 A Very Precious Time - 3/5 Back Home - 3.5/5 The Bottle - 5/5 Song For Bobby Smith - 3/5 Your Daddy Loves You - 2.5/5 H2Ogate Blues - 2/5 Peace Go with You Brother (Wa-Alaikum-Salaam) - 3/5 Winter in America - 3/5 The Bottle / Guan Guanco - 3/5 Song for Bobby Smith - Alternate Take - 3/5

A pleasant listen and obviously a very influential album but it doesn’t really do it for me. Interesting to get a snapshot of the state of American politics in the 70s.

Kul fyr. Liker de drømmende sporene bedre enn de politiske.

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.

Pretty solid, title track was good, probably won't return

boring

2/3. Cool album. Caught my ear the second I recognized that Peace Go With Your Brother is the song that’s sampled on Poe Man’s Dreams on Section 80. I think this album proves that I have a soft spot for Rhodes pianos and flutes, but I also thought the prototypical rap on H2O Gate Blues was very cool.

Not really for me but I can appreciate the work. I enjoyed the electric piano work and the overall jazz feel

who will survive in America?

Album #1,039 Had to listen to this one on YouTube. Starts off pretty slow, but good jazz piano/organ playing. Singing is hit and miss. Then gets a little more upbeat before finishing off with some beat poetry about Watergate.

I LISTENED.

Didn't think I would enjoy this, but was pretty good. I recognised "the bottle". All felt very genuine. 3

Real good stuff, it gave me a sense of time and place. The flute, hand drumming, spoken word poetry. Most of which I tend to detest, but this works! Very cool, prescient, sometimes easy to hear, sometimes challenging. 3.5

Really great music and passionate lyrics, not so great production or vocal delivery.

Gonna give it a 3 for neutral because it wasn't on Spotify to listen to and I can't be bothered to seek it elsewhere.

Solid but no showstoppers.

Not available in this region.

Jazz and proto voiceover elements. Good protest songs. Will listen again.

The blacker the berry

Not on Spotify

A lot feels kind of boring. There is absolutely some great stuff on here, but too many songs feel too similar to each other and often very slow and long. 3/5

I had to find this one in a YouTube playlist as it’s not on Spotify, so excuse me if I miss a track or get the order wrong! The first track, Peace go with you brother, is an interesting piece of music. I don’t dislike it, but it reminds me of sleep asmr. I’m sure if I searched “smooth jazz sleep sounds” I could get a similar effect. Rivers of my Fathers has some good piano, it’s definitely what I would class as elevator music though. Not in a bad way, I just feel as if the way to enjoy this is standing in an elevator or in line at a theme park. Very precious time is the same as the rest. I like this guys voice, but this album is making me so tired. It’s also like 10pm at this point, but am I a bad person for wanting a bit of urgency? Finally! Back home is much more like it. The flute, the more upbeat tempo, yay! The Bottle is actually really good! I enjoyed this track a lot. Oh yay. Back to the slow ones. Song for Bobby Smith. Yeah. I’ve already said all I need to say about these slower tracks. Going into Your Daddy Loves you. I usually hate parent to child songs, but this one had some musical intrigue. H2Ogate blues. I don’t really like the spoken word intros to tracks anyway. I just realized it’s 8 minutes long. I’m 2.5 minutes in and it’s just been spoken word politics. I’m not against a good political track, but I feel like I’m listening to a speech. Actually, I’ve been slightly unfair. The poetry in this track is really good. It also… relates well to current events. The title track: I enjoyed this a lot. No notes. I feel like I’m missing a track or two, but I took what the YouTube playlist gave me. Overall, I think I was slightly harsh on this album. It has some great lyrics and musicianship, it just ain’t for me at all. 3/5 ⭐️ from me, but it probably does deserve higher. 20/1089

interesting and experimental, but probably not going to be a repeat listen for me, 3 stars, pretty crazy how the last song feels like it could be written today since so many of the issues are super present still

An okay album, I liked Back Home the most.

It started out pretty good. I liked the funk, but the improv jazz and spoke word parts weren't very enjoyable. It's also dated, very much a product of its rime.

It’s a pleasant listen, but I can’t help but feel that this album is spinning its wheels at times. The song structures feel very unchanging. The record often becomes a formless ramble backed by some nice instrumentation. It was cool to recognize the first song being sampled on Section 80 by Kendrick. Also, Andre 3k absolutely embodies the spirit of Scott-Heron. Cool listen.

This was great, I just didn’t really connect with it. There’s obviously the strong racial messages in this and these kind of albums are very important for that. It’s good!

Vocals pretty good. Music good too. But overall not gripping me enough to be good to great.

Этого альбома не было, послушала другой. Приятный легкий джаз,но с политическими и социальными веяниями. 6/10

Fine

Ok- the political stuff was lost on me though.

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.

A historical snapshot which continues to tell the story of America today. Some fabulous jazz and blues to enjoy, sometimes the voice felt jarring against the music.

A bit of a slow starter, but has some great tracks and heavy lyrics. I love a bit of jazz flute, keys are beautiful, and H20gate is brilliant.

Why have I not heard of him before?

A very slow jazz with some little touches of funk and blues. My favourite songs here are 'Back Home', 'The Bottle' and 'H2ogate Blues', because the first two are very funky and the last one is a blues track with a heavy political message. The rest of the songs were very slow and moody jazz that didn't engage me at all. Quite of a shame that I feel so neutral about it. Researching about this man, I found out that he is a very famous person because of his political views. And I understand why, as I pointed out, I liked 'H2ogate Blues'. Knowing that, it makes me feel a bit disappointed about it, as it made me wish the album was more political focused. At least I think the worst parts are tolerable.

Great voice, nice easy listen

This one was a smooth, easy listen from start to finish. Nothing flashy, just a laid back vibe that worked well in the background. A Very Precious Time stood out for me and was the best track on the album. H2O Gate Blues was a nice bit of political commentary too. The rest of it was solid but didn’t really grab me. Honestly, I’m surprised it was this album that made the list and not The Revolution Will Not Be Televised. I like that one better, personally.

If Sly Stone sang Lou Rawls, it would sound like this.

Beautiful, but ultimately not my jam.

Sucks this album is not on apple music 🫤. Some sweet flute vibes.

Album wasn't available on spotify. I listened to some of his other Albums and enjoyed them

Favorite Track: The Bottle

ok

Pretty meh, but good musicianship

Cool stripped down sound, jazzy and thought provoking.

This was an interesting listen. Lots of cool grooves and melodies, but mostly not blowing my mind. The one stand-out track for me was H2O Gate, which was really stellar, in terms of writing, performance (so good) and just overall groove. Three stars overall.

Better than Coldplay

This album gave me the feeling that it was going to be spectacular at first... but as time went on, I don't know, it seems that from the middle of the album onwards it lost its "spice," something that was making it incredible, becoming just good. As if something sweet had become watered down. I'll give it 3 stars.

behöver nog egentligen lyssna igenom det igen... men bra?

Not really my thing- not a huge jazz fan, but the politics did feel fairly current.

Not bad.

Interesting album. Very contemplative, and of its time (the mid 70s… lots of electric piano) Good jazz playing but most of it was a little slow for my tastes. I did enjoy the uptempo numbers. H2OGate Blues was fun and clever. It also showed how little things have changed in a lot of respects.

Best Track - "H2OGate Blues"

When gil Scott heron died the number of white boy comments, ‘oh I understand black culture, I just don’t want to live near them, I’m sure they’re and I’m not racist, but…' drove me nuts. It’s not directed at you. That’s ok. Can you enjoy it? Yes sure. Is it important. Yes. But don’t tell me you get it. You don’t. You can’t. It is powerful. It is important. But it’s speaking to its people. If you’re white middle class, that ain’t you. Listen to it yes. Listen to its message. Yes. But you’re a peripheral listener. Still, 3 stars for what I can appreciate. 2 marks off a 5 star, deducted because of the white hipster factor and the album he did before this is better.

Winter In America is one of the few albums on this list that, for some reason, is not available on Spotify. In any case, the collaboration between Gil Scott-Heron and Brian Jackson was clearly inspiring, even if I don't think the “minimalist production” was the best possible approach—in my opinion, the vocals in particular would have benefited from some post-production work in places. In any case, the result sounds almost like a live recording and, stylistically, lies somewhere between jazz and soul in my opinion. As for the songs, “The Bottle” is a very remarkable piece (and the only single from this album), while the rest is mostly easy listening. Not bad!

Hard to find the album on Spotify. Ended up listening to individual songs from other sources.

3.5

I think this is probably a great album to a lot of people, but it's just too far out of my wheelhouse to get any real enjoyment out of. 70s soul is just not my favorite to begin with, and the incorporation of jazz-funk and spoken word doesn't really help. "Peace Go With You Brother" was my favorite. 3 stars.

Musically this is quite lush - smooth, sumptuous, snazzy, silky dinner table jazz. Vocally it’s a lumpier and less lush mixture though. Gill I guess is best known for spoken word but he opts to sing mostly on here and he is no George Benson - his vocal chops are pretty average and leaden. Scrub the vocals out and you have an album I could have a very nice steak and glass of red wine to. There are still a couple of potent highlights though, namely The Bottle and H2Ogate Blues which is where the album really gets sizzling and is sort of a direct to video sequel of The Revolution Will Not Be Televised: Ronnie Scott’s edition.

Nice album, I really like his voice, and his spoken word

All good and heartfelt and meaningful and I was eavesdropping the entire time. The two tracks that piqued my interest were The Bottle and H20Gate Blues.

It was okay. The person listening to his album should have a working knowledge of The Watergate Scandal in order to understand “H2Ogate Blues”. “The Bottle” is really good.

I was previously familiar with Gil Scott-Heron but not Brian Jackson or this album. This is a sort of funk/jazz/blues mix with almost proto-rap on top. It's a very interesting sound, including sounds from many years both before and after its release. The social commentary is pointed albeit a bit dated now, well after the fact, in the case of H2Ogate Blues. This was a fun listen, and while I would listen again, I'm not sure I would seek it out specifically.

70s jazz, R&B and African. Influential on rap and hip hop. Very relaxing. Not loving the vocals.

It was alright, on the funky side of jazzy. Not my favourite of this genre but still quite listenable.

50 years later and still talking about oil shocks

I enjoyed this, jazzy, bluesy and a bit of soul. A relaxing listen. But nothing exceptional to push it to one of the higher ratings.

Good stuff

All too appropriate.

3/5 no album on apple only single

Mixed reviews here - appreciate what these chaps are doing and I love GSH’s voice and prose. There was more than one stinker on this album including ‘Very Precious Time’ which was a difficult listen.

Couldn't listen

Never heard this before today. It's pretty chilled out nice music with some great lyrics. Seems kind of political in the message. Nice beats with some other spacey synth work that is really nice. I wouldn't mind listening to this again.

Love “The Bottle,” the rest a little too laid back for my tastes.

Smooth jazz with activist vocals

I like his voice and the songwriting more than the music behind it. The drum kit repetitiveness of the second track almost broke me.

Luckily I spotted the YouTube link in the reviews - doing a search in YouTube didn’t work (I really dislike YouTube!). Standouts were H2O Gate Blues - especially now! , and The Bottle. I didn’t like his vibrato on some of the other sons. Overall a 3

great

Un autre album que je réécoute une fois de temps en temps en espérant l'apprécier mieux. Ça manque un peu de fougue pour moi.

Buen disco. Buena música, buen jazz, buena voz de Scott, pero lo sentí extremadamente relajado. Me hicieron falta algunos temas con más punch, no solamente estos tan reflexivos. No malo, para nada. Pero quiero explorar más de Scott-Heron a ver qué trae en sus otros discos.

I had to go to YouTube to hear this, and I'm glad I did. He was earnest and commanding, even though his singing wasn't great. The spoken word stuff was on point.

I absolutely loved the production and instrumental on this record. I had a very hard time connecting with Gil's singing. I just couldn't enjoy it. Despite disliking a large part of every song, I'm still going to think positively of this record and say that Gil's style just isn't for me. This album is incredible for hip-hop samples, I'm sure many people sampled it. 6/10

This was quite a surprise to me, because I fully expected to really like this, but for some reason it didn't quite vibe with me. Liked the spoken word H2Ogate Blues more than the rest. I liked elements of the others (including some nice bass), but the whole wasn't quite what I was expecting. Low three.

Groovy. Tik per youtube.

Jazzy Hendrix.

Pretty cool, cat

Nice mellow vibe with some pointed spoken words … wish this was on a streaming platform so I could listen consistently

Actually enjoyed what I could listen to - album isn't available on streaming.

5/6

I respect this album much more than I enjoyed this album. It wasn’t bad to listen to, but it meandered a lot. There were a couple of songs that held my interest but that’s about it.

Beautiful music

3.5

Cool

5/10 I'll concentrate on the bits that didn't grate terrible boy and we're politically charged so that I can give 3 stars. But some of it was god awful Jazz and the bloody stereo whizzing from side to side was making me feel sea sick.