{"product_id":"gil-scott-heron-reflections","title":"Reflections","description":"Personnel: Gil Scott-Heron (vocals, electric piano); Kenny Lazarus (guitar); Vernon James (flute, soprano saxophone, alto saxophone); Glenn Turner (harmonica, electric piano, Clavinet, organ, string synthesizer); Kenny Sheffield (trumpet, flugelhorn); Kenny Powell (drums); Larry Macdonald (timbales, percussion).\nAlthough a major across-the-board hit always eluded the poet, singer, and activist Gil Scott-Heron, this album does contain one of his best-known songs. \"B-Movie,\" an extended attack on Ronald \"Ray-gun,\" unleashes 12 minutes of vitriol about the then recently elected president. Beginning with the declaration \"Mandate, my ass,\" it's a laundry list of fears about Reagan, fantasizing that his election meant \"we're all actors\" in some surreal film. Delivered over a taut funk groove, parts of it are still funny. Elsewhere, Scott-Heron takes an early stab at endorsing firearm control on \"Gun\"; slows things down for \"Morning Thoughts\"; and explores reggae's rhythms and revolutionary power on \"Storm Music,\" a direction he'd pursue more fully on his next album, Moving Target. The disc also includes a pair of covers that offer varying degrees of success: Bill Withers' \"Grandma's Hands\" is a natural for Scott-Heron's warm baritone and a bright soul-jazz arrangement from the Midnight Band, but the version of Marvin Gaye's \"Inner City Blues,\" while it swings convincingly, has a lengthy spoken-word riff that fails to embellish on the pain implicit in the original. Overall, Reflections doesn't capture Scott-Heron at the peak of his game, though anyone who enjoyed the other works from his Arista period certainly won't be disappointed. ~ Dan LeRoy","brand":"Gil Scott Heron","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44588152422633,"sku":"IOQB71-9H4L-00","price":17.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0654\/3523\/8633\/files\/gil-scott-heron-reflections_twHEn.jpg?v=1759081700","url":"https:\/\/www.vibinvinyl.com\/products\/gil-scott-heron-reflections","provider":"Vibin' Vinyl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}