Gil Scott-Heron - Spirits 1994

With Spirits, Gil Scott-Heron made a triumphant return to the studio after a 12-year absence. Though the politically charged R&B singer's voice had deteriorated, much of his soulfulness comes through. His songwriting is consistently excellent, and songs ranging from "Message to the Messengers" (which advises young rap artists to use their power wisely) to "Work for Peace" leave no doubt that his sociopolitical observations are as sharp as ever. One of the most riveting cuts is "The Other Side," an extended remake of his early-'70s classic "Home Is Where the Hatred Is" (which describes a drug addict's struggle). The East Coaster had been battling addiction himself during his absence from recording, and this heartfelt song isn't for the squeamish. Scott-Heron had successfully dabbled in jazz over the years, and in fact, among the CD's many strong points are the lyrics he adds to John Coltrane's "Spirits." One cannot help but wish Scott-Heron still had a great voice to go with this material, but even so, Spirits is powerful listening. AMG.

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Gil Scott-Heron - Ghetto Style 1998

This compilation features 21 tracks from Gil Scott-Heron's first three long-players -- Small Talk at 125th and Lenox (1970), Pieces of a Man (1971), and Free Will (1972) -- all for producer Bob Thiele's Flying Dutchman label. Although Scott-Heron's seminal recordings consisted of his radical street poetry set to a bombast of conga accompaniment, he honed his prose into socially conscious R&B. This would heavily influence rap music nearly a decade prior to its fruition in the early '80s and 1990s. The original recitation version of "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" -- which comes off as militant as the more familiar instrumentally accompanied reading -- as well as the slice-of-life commentary title track "Small Talk at 125th and Lenox" appropriately represent Scott-Heron's first disc with an edgy political incorrectness taken directly from the soul of the American ghettos. Although the tone of his later work would become somewhat melodically tempered, the lyrical content remained in-your-face and wholly uncompromising. On the follow-up, Pieces of a Man, the artist is accompanied by a bevy of studio musicians and jazz heavies, including Ron Carter (bass), Hubert Laws (flute/saxophone), as well as Bernard "Pretty" Purdie (drums). This would also begin Scott-Heron's dramatic and fruitful collaborative relationship with Brian Jackson (keyboards), which would spawn several landmark and otherwise socially conscious discs, including the apropos bicentennial release It's Your World (1976). Jackson's delicate interplay on "Did You Hear What They Said" and "Or Down You Fall" demonstrates the musical cohesion that would continue to develop between the two. Although this is a European import, as no domestic compilation of this material exists, Ghetto Style (1998) is a highly recommended primer. AMG.
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