GIL SCOTT-HERON — Free Will (review)

GIL SCOTT-HERON — Free Will album cover Album · 1972 · RnB Buy this album from MMA partners
3/5 ·
Sean Trane
Third album from the African-American activist, and the last “pure solo album”, since his career will include some strong collaboration with woodwind/pianist Brian Jackson for the next five years. In some ways, Freewill is much in the line of of his previous Piece Of Man album, but fails to equal it, quality-wise, but it is quite different from Small Talk, partly because there are a full cast of musicians backing him up.

It gives us a GSH facet that shows his singing talents, between a soul singer (Middle Of Your Day), a blues man (Ghetto Blues) and a over a sometimes jazz instrumentation, but in general the words “soul-jazz” applies perfectly to this album. This is not to say that GSH softened much his lyrical propos, though. It’s still quite incisive and still denounces the then-actual situation, but it’s not quite as obsessive as Small Talk, where it was almost the only subject. The most moving of his tracks (IMHO) is the closing tribute to Coltrane.

This album is a bit too much of a mixed bag affair for its own good, and despite a few accusations, it doesn’t have the incisiveness of his debut, but it more than makes up with a much more complex and complete instrumentation. Like all GSH, Freewill is worthy of a listen, especially with the political context of the times, but his soul-jazz is rather common, outside the lyrical contents.

Share this review
more

Review Comments

Post a public comment below | Send private message to the reviewer
Please login to post a shout
No shouts posted yet. Be the first member to do so above!

Review Index

Member Zone

Username:
Password:
Stay signed in

Jazz Subgenres

Artists Alpha-index

JMA TOP 5 Jazz ALBUMS

Rating by members, ranked by custom algorithm
Albums with 30 ratings and more
A Love Supreme Post Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners
Kind of Blue Cool Jazz
MILES DAVIS
Buy this album from our partners
The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady Progressive Big Band
CHARLES MINGUS
Buy this album from our partners
Blue Train Hard Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners
My Favorite Things Hard Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners

New Jazz Artists

New Jazz Releases

6 Eclectic Fusion
KROKOFANT
Buy this album from MMA partners
Spring In Stockholm Live At Konserthuset, 1959 Cool Jazz
GERRY MULLIGAN
Buy this album from MMA partners
Mikolaj Trzaska, Ingebrigt Haker Flaten, Paal Nilssen-Love : The Last Temple vol.3 Avant-Garde Jazz
MIKOŁAJ TRZASKA
Buy this album from MMA partners
Mikolaj Trzaska, Ingebrigt Haker Flaten, Paal Nilssen-Love : The Last Temple, Vol.1 Avant-Garde Jazz
MIKOŁAJ TRZASKA
Buy this album from MMA partners
Mikołaj Trzaska / Ingebrigt Håker Flaten / Paal Nilssen-Love : The Last Temple Vol.2 Avant-Garde Jazz
MIKOŁAJ TRZASKA
Buy this album from MMA partners
More new releases

New Jazz Online Videos

FASCINATING RHYTHM - The Amazing Keystone Big Band feat. Neima Naouri
THE AMAZING KEYSTONE BIG BAND
snobb· 1 day ago
Alicante
RENAUD GARCIA-FONS
js· 1 day ago
She's Forty with Me
WILTON CRAWLEY
js· 1 day ago
Tall Tillie's Too Tight
WILTON CRAWLEY
js· 1 day ago
Rhoda Scott Ladies and Gentlemen - special guest : David Linx
RHODA SCOTT
snobb· 1 day ago
More videos

New JMA Jazz Forum Topics

More in the forums

New Site interactions

More...

Latest Jazz News

members-submitted

More in the forums

Social Media

Follow us
Follow us on Twitter Become a Facebook fan RSS Feed