We’re New Again is sonically updated for the 21st century, but still firmly rooted in jazz, soul, and blues — musics of protest and radical defiance rather than the disillusionment and solitude the original I’m New Here transmits.
Rather than make a jazzier version of the original, he found the natural rhythm to the lyrics and built songs around them. In doing so, Makaya McCraven breathes new life into not only the album but Scott-Heron’s legacy.
Few of the 18 tracks exceed three minutes and so the record keeps up a jittering momentum. Yet, it is still Scott-Heron’s masterful storytelling which keeps us engaged.
The Chicago drummer and producer transforms Gil-Scott Heron's final album into a masterpiece of dirty blues, spiritual jazz, and deep yearning.
McCraven and company are able to leave the listener with a far more definitive statement about reckoning with one’s own legacy, decisions and life’s work.
What makes We're New Again so fascinating lies in the fact that Makaya McCraven benevolently and sonically recognizes Gil Scott-Heron's grief, joy, and legacy, making sure these vital expressions remain the album's true focus.
By sampling and placing his work within the radical future of Chicago’s jazz scene, McCraven honours Scott-Heron’s memory anew.
It adds immeasurably to Scott-Heron's canon, celebrating his influence by revealing the full power, pain, and streetwise wisdom of the artist in the present and the future.
Simply put, We’re New Here is a pure, unadulterated stroke of artistic brilliance.
While often pretty and groovy, Makaya McCraven's reimagining of Gil Scott-Heron's swansong tends to drain the suspense and emotional potency out of its source material.
#7 | / | Drift |
#7 | / | Norman Records |
#8 | / | TIME |
#17 | / | The Line of Best Fit |