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Gil Scott-Heron/Brian Jackson: Winter in America (Charly)

Barney Hoskyns, Uncut, August 2005

A MASTERWORK of ghetto melancholia and stark political gravitas, Winter in America showcases Scott-Heron and Jackson at their most witheringly unsentimental but also their most tender. Heart-melting minor chords on Fender Rhodes pianos underpin gruff baritone-delivered poetics and proto-rap secular sermons. Fusion booze classic 'The Bottle' stands out but hardly dwarfs the jazzy dreaminess of 'Peace Go With You, Brother', the sublime Afrocentrism of 'Rivers of My Fathers' and the trenchant Nixon-basher 'H2Ogate Blues'. Majestic and haunting.

Total word count of piece: 77


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