Ten years ago, Gil Scott-Heron recorded his final album, I’m New Here for Richard Russell’s XL Label. In practice, the album was assembled, rather than recorded, and if Scott-Heron regarded the album as Russell’s, rather than his own, he gratefully contributed ideas that he had been working on, together with excerpts from his memoir, which was posthumously published as The Last Holiday.
The album’s reputation has grown in the years that followed, and it is now regarded as being up there with the singer’s finest works. This is the third iteration of the album, coming nine years after Jamie XX’s imaginative electronica version, We’re New Here, from 2011.
Given that many of the original songs were little more than sketches, one could certainly question whether the album is worthy of such treatment. But the answer is a resounding yes. Chicago-based jazz drummer Makaya McCraven has returned Scott-Heron to his jazz roots, away from the sparse originals and the cool beats that followed, arguably returning the singer to his rightful place.
McCraven was supported by a number of his regular collaborators, including Jeff Parker on guitar, Junius Paul on bass, Brandee Younger on harp and Ben Lamar Gay on percussion and other instruments. The sonic palettes provided by the drummer vary enormously, yet this ambitious project works very well as a whole.
The album opens with Special Tribute, which is Part 1 of On Coming From a Broken Home. This is essentially a spoken word extract from the singer’s memoir, in which he reminisces about his grandmother. McCraven splits this into four shorter tracks, which are interspersed throughout the album, each with a different backing. Part 1 sounds like spiritual jazz from the early 1970s, whilst Part 2 sounds like blues on acid, as though played by Beck, which works just as well.
In Part 3, Scott-Heron reveals that his grandmother “had more than five senses, knew more than books could teach,” this time sent to a laid-back acoustic jazz backing. On Part 4, McCraven provides the spoken word with a more African-sounding backdrop, complete with busy percussion, which works better than you might expect.
Running showed that Scott-Heron’s mind was still strong, even if his body was failing him. “Running will be the way your life and mine are described; as in, ‘the long run’, or as in ‘having given someone a run for his money’ or as in “running out of time.” This time the backing is percussion-driven, like a hip-hop sample, which feels entirely appropriate.
Blessed Parents sounds like snatches of conversation, rather than a song per se, this time in a free jazz setting. It’s strangely effective, particularly when bookmarked by more lyrical pieces, as it is.
New York Is Killing Me is one of my favourite tracks from the original album. McCraven and his team make it feel like he’s being accompanied by early 1970s McCoy Tyner, which can’t be a bad thing, complete with dense percussion from McCraven and Ben Lamar Gay. Powerful stuff!
Listen to New York Is Killing Me here:
Where Did The Night Go has added flute, and as a result, sounds like it might have come from one of Gil’s early albums.
The covers are equally fascinating. Brook Benton’s I’ll Take Care Of You is one of the album’s highlights, driven by sparse piano and harp, before the amazing percussion kicks in. The lyrics and delivery offer a surprising romanticism that seemed to evade the man himself. And the album closes with Robert Johnson’s Me and the Devil, which features a excellent horn sample from one of McCraven’s father’s albums and superb drumming from McCraven himself. The result is dark and demonic, and illustrates this side of Scott-Heron to good effect.
Listen to I’ll Take Care Of You here:
I loved both the original album and the Jamie XX version, but McCraven somehow makes the music and the message sound brand new and vital again, even third time around. Highly recommended.
And if you still can’t get enough, check out the Tenth Anniversary Edition of I’m New Here, now available on 180g vinyl as a double album. It’s a must-have!
