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We’re New Again – A Re-imagining

Makaya McCraven

We’re New Again – A Re-imagining

A re-imagining of Gil Scott-Heron's final release by jazz drummer Makaya McCraven

ADM rating[?]

8.3

Label
XL
UK Release date
07/02/2020
US Release date
07/02/2020
  1. 9.0 |   The Line Of Best Fit

    With clever twists of post-production, Makaya chops and resamples not only his own band but also choice words and phrases of each stanza, making the poetry a percussive element and drawing out emphasis. A decade after his death, Gil Scot-Heron’s final oeuvre has finally settled into something great
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  2. 9.0 |   Uncut

    Opening up the album to new ideas and interpretations without obscuring the man himself. Print edition only

  3. 9.0 |   Clash

    Makaya McCraven breathes new life into not only the album but Scott-Heron’s legacy
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  4. 9.0 |   Crack

    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 memory of which is now preserved anew by McCraven in their hometown’s current and thriving scene
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  5. 8.6 |   Pitchfork

    The Chicago drummer and producer transforms Gil-Scott Heron's final album into a masterpiece of dirty blues, spiritual jazz, and deep yearning
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  6. 8.0 |   The Guardian

    Jazz drummer and beat-maker McCraven beautifully reworks Scott-Heron’s 10-year-old album I’m New Here, resituating the poet in the improvisatory tradition
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  7. 8.0 |   Q

    A pitch-perfect homage to the old master, whose voice resonates as powerfully as it did a decade ago. Print edition only

  8. 8.0 |   Exclaim

    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
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  9. 8.0 |   All Music

    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
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