Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx, We’re New Here (2011)

The very first time I heard this album I did not like it. I was convinced it was a dud – but in saying that I heard enough to be intrigued to want to hear more. That’s what you want with music – a reaction, and I had one. So more time was spent with the album and now when I hear it I’m almost baffled that, at one time (albeit briefly) I did not like this. I had loved – still love – the original album by Gil Scott-Heron. And I was enough of a fan of Jamie xx, interested in his work with The xx and his DJ sets/mixtapes. But I think this album surpasses I’m New Here (the original). And it ended up being, quite possibly, the perfect farewell to Gil Scott-Heron. He had his second shot – it was cut short. And this seems the right thing to be left hearing in the wake. You listen to his best material and read his best work and you’re faced with the realisation that since his passing we really have a void. (That there will not be another like him). And you hear that right here with this album too. A favourite for many years to come I’m sure. I love this record – but I’ve only just (in the last week) purchased the vinyl. I’m so glad to have it.

Sample Track: I’ll Take Care Of U

The Vinyl Countdown is a document of every LP I listen to, brand new discoveries and old-old favourites; extremely pre-loved, previously abandoned or with the shrink-wrap having just been removed it’s all here at The Vinyl Countdown