Culture

Following a period of personal and legal trouble over his drug addiction, living jazz-soul legend Gil Scott Heron released his first album of original material in sixteen years with the excellent I’m New Here in 2010.
Gaining critical acclaim for its exploration of contemporary electronic music and deep introspective lyrics, the album hinted at a triumphant comeback. On We’re New Here, this contemporary template is pushed to its extreme with British based remix artist and producer Jamie xx of mercury prize winning “The XX” taking Heron’s original source vocals and providing his own heavily dubstep-influenced music beds. While the fusion of these two styles may at first seem illogical, it quickly becomes apparent that the dense, wobbly dance/dubstep rhythms make a fantastic base for Heron’s extremely personal tales of love and desperation.  On “Running” the minimalist, percussive production is reminiscent of The XX’s own work, with Jamie using a distorted drum machine to full effect and the track’s hip-hop style fitting perfectly with Heron’s spoken-word poetry. Tracks in which Heron’s voice is not the sole focus prove just as enjoyable. On “My Cloud”, samples and loops crash into each other, Heron’s voice buried in layers and hiss, acting as another instrument. The melodic template of the track is widened, making it a modern-day easy listening track with a twist. Bringing Gil Scott Heron fully into the contemporary age, Jamie xx has successfully managed to keep the integrity of both artists intact. Dynamic and full of heart, congratulations Mr. Heron: your comeback is complete.  
 
4/5