Reflections

Gil Scott-Heron has been making albums for years, combining radical rap with fearless funk and jive-ass jazz. So why does an album released late last year take so long to reach either the music papers or the retail outlets?

Whatever the precise answer to that question, it’s doubly ironic since Gil Scott-Heron makes urgent music, NOW music, that challenges the increasing dominance of right-wing thinking in the U.S. of A. Which is a vital contribution in an era when Americans seem to be becoming increasingly self-obsessed and paradoxically less aware of their own problems.

While the music of Earth, Wind & Fire, Kool & The Gang and the rest of the funk bunch is all very well and good (and it is!), there has been a disheartening dearth of genuinely heartfelt social/political comment from America's black artists, or at least from those granted access to international media in the recent past.

Stevie Wonder can be seen as a counterpart to Bob Marley (the two were planning to work together through late ‘80/early ‘81…), but who else in the States could even begin to compare with LKJ, Dennis Bovell, Aswad, Misty et al in the UK, or The Spear, Bunny Wailer, Culture, Uhuru & Co. in JA?

Reflections answers loud and clear: Gil Scott-Heron is the man. He mixes soul, funk, jazz and reggae, just as, lyrically, he moves through politics and poverty, peace and poetry, rap and ridicule… The resulting mix is so potent it leaves you dizzy. There is power, Strength, sensitivity, humour, verbal and musical dexterity in abundance here. Say it loud and proud, brothers and sisters – Gil Scott-Heron Is The Man!

"When America found itself having a hard time facing the future, they looked for people like John Wayne/But since John Wayne was no longer available, they settled for Ronald Raygun/And it has placed it in a situation which we can only look at like a B-Movie/Come with us back to those inglorious days when heroes weren’t zeros/Before fair was square, when the cavalry came straightaway and all American men were like Hemingway/To the days of the wondrous B-Movie/The producer, underwritten by all the millionaires necessary, will be Casper The Defensive Weinberger – no more animated a choice is available/The director will be Attila The Haig, running around frantically declaring himself in control and in charge – The ultimate realisation of the inmates’ taking over the asylum/The screenplay will be adapted from the book called Voodoo Economics by George ‘Papa Doc’ Bush/Music by the Village People, very military, macho, money – A theme song for sabre-rattling, and selling war door-to-door/Remember, we’re looking for the closest thing we can find to John Wayne"…

Phew! Just a short excerpt from ‘B-Movie’, the longest and strongest track on Reflections. Gil kicks off by telling us that "The first thing I wanna say is, mandate mah ass!", before the rhythm section mix up a funk backdrop that initially seems relaxed but builds relentlessly in power and menace, as the man himself paints a dark and depressing picture of the present American grovelment and of people’s capacity for playing the game their way. Gil tells it with both humour and message, but the ultimate effect is nothing short of terrifying.

Reflections isn’t always as stark. ‘Storm Music’ is a relaxed paean to reggae music … "storm music, reggae music, playing in my heart" – which is Heron’s own way of acknowledging the prime importance of reggae as a music of struggle, unity and strength.

He then reactivates the upbeat funk of Bill Withers’ ‘Grandma’s Hands’, extolling the caring and healing powers of a woman’s hands, before jiving into the beautiful swing of ‘Is that Jazz?"

The side closes with the poem ‘Morning Thoughts’, the first track on which Gil speaks rather than sings. His voice is rich, deep and round; he can be as warm as Bobby Bland one minute, as tough as Malcolm X the next.

‘Inner City Blues’ and ‘Gun’ are equally strong – sharp, lean, tough funk that leaves most others in the traps while preparing you for the majestic ‘B-Movie’…

This album deserves a place in every home, but unless something rather weird and wonderful happens, chances are most of you will find it rather difficult to come by. Here is a man speaking from his heart in the words of the people about their problems – and ours. He also speaks of hope and love, faith and peace, with music to sustain and enrich.

We need him.