Our regular readers may have noticed that we haven’t offered any new “Musical Pairings” this week, and I’ve been focusing entirely on “Single Servings.” Also, you may have noticed, eating/sf has been largely quiet for most of the week. Well, Kasey has been in New York on a business trip this week, and on top of that, she’s been feeling very under the weather since last Friday. So between attending meetings, preparing for meetings, resting up to keep up her energy, trying to feel better, and visiting doctor’s offices, she understandably hasn’t had time to prepare new posts. Nonetheless, we should have new recipes and new Musical Pairings next week. Oh, and it would be nice if you could stop by eating/sf and leave a comment wishing her to feel better soon.
And although it isn’t NYC’s fault that Kasey isn’t feeling well, I think the title of today’s Single Serving is nonetheless appropriate: Gil Scott Heron’s single “New York Is Killing Me.” It is a crisp, sparse track based around Scott-Heron’s deep, distinctive baritone, hand claps, busted-up beat, and fuzzy electronic accompaniments. The track is fresh off of his latest album, his first in 15 years, titled I’m New Here. If the name Gil Scott Heron doesn’t ring a bell, let me tell you a little about him. He is a musician, poet and author, who was most prolific during the 1970’s and 1980’s. His most influential and well-known piece is “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised.” He became well known for his own unique brand of music that fused together elements of jazz, blues, and spoken-word soul. His delivery was the basis for an early rap prototype and neo soul. In in that sense, you can think of him as a sort of Velvet Underground of hip hop in terms of influence. Surprisingly, considering it has been 15 years since his last album, I’m New Here sounds amazingly fresh and musically relevant. This is definitely not a half-hearted comeback-album cash-grab. It is simply a tremendous album.
Gil Scott-Heron – New York Is Killing Me
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