Gil Scott-Heron - Pieces of a Man (1971)

Gil Scott-Heron
Pieces of a Man (1971)
Let me just get this out of the way: Gil Scott-Heron can't sing. Well, he can, but not well. One of the things that made the ballads of such soul artists as Curtis Mayfield and Marvin Gaye so compelling to listen to was the fact that they were being projected through the most endearing vocal cords on the planet at the time. Gil Scott-Heron certainly has the song arrangements to compete with them, but not the voice. I want to say that that's part of the reason why Scott-Heron is such an underground artist. He's better known for his powerful spoken word recordings, which are widely considered to be the precursors of hip hop. But his aspirations to be more than just a poet, while admirable, is probably what kept him from achieving greater success, rather than restricting him to lesser.

Though he never reached Mayfleid or Gaye's levels of popularity, you've heard of Gil Scott-Heron before. Or at least you've heard the saying "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" before. This is the guy that originated it. Also featured on his hard to find debut Small Talk at 125th and Lenox, an updated version of the song with full instrumental backing opens Pieces of a Man. The songs' cult popularity doesn't exist for naught; it's absolutely flawless, and sadly still semi-relevant (update the names of the actors and politicians mentioned and it could've been recorded this decade...though the revolution never really comes as violently as anyone imagines). Perhaps the only complication with leading the album off with "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" is the expectations it places on the rest of the album. If you're looking for any more raw spoken word tracks, prepare for disappointment: Pieces of a Man goes the soul/vocal jazz route for its remainder.

That may be a deal-breaker for some, but keep in mind that Gil Scott-Heron is a talented artist, so not all is lost. True, a few of the songs are pretty generic-sounding by today's standards (I'm halfway sure that "When You Are Who You Are" was used as background music in an auto insurance commercial a few years back) with cringe-inducing lyrical clichés, but thankfully there are a few standouts that make good use of storytelling to keep the listener interested. "Lady Day and John Coltrane" is an up-tempo, groovy track about drowning your sorrows by listening to your favorite musicians. "Home Is Where The Hatred Is" keeps the pace up with a tale of leaving a tumultuous living situation. The title track is a downtempo piano-driven ballad that tells about a father's breakdown after being laid off of his job.

The songs are carefully composed in such a way that works well for the vocal ability that he does possess, but at the end of the day you can't help but wonder what a more talented singer might've been able to accomplish with the same songs. Perhaps more interesting would've been to hear them in spoken word form, though I suppose there's no point in dwelling on what could've been. I can't blame an artist for wanting to branch out of his comfort zone, so taking this album as it is, you could do a lot worse.


Score: 7/10


"The Revolution Will Not Be Televised"



"Lady Day and John Coltrane"

Solomon Burke - Don't Give Up On Me (2002)

Solomon Burke - Don't Give Up On Me (2002)

Wow, this album is so inoffensive! I can't remember the last time I've been so thoroughly unoffended while listening to an album. This is so devoid of anything the least bit controversial or out of the norm that even the most staunchly conservative spokesperson for all that is good, moral and decent would have a hard time finding anything wrong with it. First thing that popped in my head while listening to Don't Give Up On Me: I'd be shocked if this album was not nominated for a Grammy when it was released (just checked online and...yup; it won, too). Second thought: I didn't go into a Starbucks in 2002, but if I did I would not have been surprised to hear this album playing in store.

That's not to say that this is a bad album. Fundamentally, there's really nothing wrong with the music, which is incredibly solid throughout. Burke has been at it for a long time, and it shows with how skillfully interpreted these songs are; emulating the blues and eventual wisdom that can only come from someone with life experience, and the ability to turn that experience into a strong, soulful statement. There's not a bad track to be found here, and a few of them are exceptional. I guess I just mean to emphasize that this album fits the "Adult Contemporary" tag to a T. And in being so unoffensive and safe, it actually appeals to me less than would something more unconventional. Maybe if he threw a theramin in there somewhere or something man I don't know.

Good album, but this is totally what your granddad wishes you "whippersnappers" would listen to instead of "that awful racket".



Score: 7/10


"Flesh And Blood"


"The Judgement"

Res - How I Do (2001)

Res - How I Do (2001)

I vaguely remembered Res (pronounced "reese"), though admittedly more for the short boyhood crush I developed for her after seeing the video for "They Say Vision", where hips and cleavage made more of an impression on my teenage mind at the time than the music did. But when I found myself wondering why she seemed to have disappeared off the face of the earth, it was the music that was playing in my mind. That song and it's airy, infectious chorus. Thinking back on it, it was pretty different compared to her peers at the time. As my research found, that was part of the problem.

How I Do was released on a major label but suffered from poor marketing and an odd choice of singles, and as a result was forgotten in the highly competitive realm of mainstream music. They didn't know what audience to market her to. It's neo-soul, but not fully. It's kinda rock but not really. The aforementioned "They Say Vision" broke onto the dance charts for a short time, but I wouldn't say that that was a good place for her either. Strange, because it's easy to fathom that this would've been a pretty huge hit if it were released today in a climate where, even if the music is quite terrible, at least the lines that separate genres are a little more blurred, making it easier for acts to cross over and appeal to multiple audiences.

Listening to the first four tracks especially, it's hard to imagine how How I Do managed to fly under the radar. The arrangements are memorable and Res sings confidently over them with decent range. From there, the album does begin to suffer from a couple of throwaway tracks, like "Sittin' Back", that trip up the momentum and make it difficult to recapture the flow of the album's first third. But for the most part it's solid. Take almost any of these tracks, add a guest verse by (insert popular rapper at the time) between the second chorus and hook and you'd have heard a lot more about this.


Score: 7/10


"They Say Vision"


"Let Love"