Brian Jackson revisits the timeless Gil Scott-Heron songbook with Masters At Work and an all-star cast, creating a powerful bridge between past and present.
Few catalogues in modern music feel as enduringly relevant as that of Gil Scott-Heron and Brian Jackson. More than fifty years after they first chronicled inequality, injustice, hope and resilience through a fusion of jazz, soul, funk and spoken word, their songs continue to resonate with startling clarity. On Now More Than Ever, Brian Jackson returns to that body of work with a fresh perspective, assembling an extraordinary collection of musicians, vocalists and poets to reimagine these classics for a new era.
Produced by Masters At Work’s Louie Vega and Kenny Dope alongside BBE Music founder Peter Adarkwah, this is no straightforward tribute album. Instead, it feels like a living conversation between generations, with Jackson revisiting the songs he helped create while inviting contemporary artists to interpret them through their own experiences and voices.
The album opens with It’s Your World, where Raheem DeVaughn delivers a soulful performance that recalls the warmth and social consciousness of Marvin Gaye, while J. Ivy’s spoken word contributions add urgency and purpose. Elsewhere, Black Thought’s fearless reworking of The Revolution Will Not Be Televised demonstrates just how timeless Scott-Heron’s observations remain. Rather than attempting to replicate the original, he updates its message with contemporary references that feel entirely natural.
One of the album’s standout moments arrives with Winter In America. Kenny Dope’s arrangement subtly shifts the record towards the dancefloor without sacrificing any of its emotional weight, while Rich Medina’s measured delivery captures the unease and uncertainty that made the original such a powerful statement. The result feels hauntingly contemporary.
House and soul fans will inevitably gravitate towards The Bottle, which sees Omar join Jackson for a joyous reimagining built around wah-wah guitars, lush orchestration and gospel-infused backing vocals. The influence of classic disco and symphonic soul is unmistakable, yet the spirit of the original remains firmly intact.
Perhaps the album’s most breathtaking performance comes courtesy of Lisa Fischer on Home Is Where The Hatred Is. Supported by a sweeping orchestral arrangement, her vocal delivery is filled with vulnerability, power and emotional depth, serving as a reminder of why she remains one of the finest singers of her generation.
What makes Now More Than Ever so successful is its refusal to treat these songs as museum pieces. Jackson himself has spoken about always hearing alternative possibilities within the original recordings, wondering how different artists might interpret them or how new arrangements could reveal different emotions. That curiosity runs throughout the album. Rather than preserving the songs in amber, the project allows them to evolve and breathe.
Beyond the songs themselves, the album also serves as a heartfelt tribute to The Midnight Band, the musicians whose contributions helped define the original recordings. Jackson’s affection and respect for those players is evident throughout, adding another emotional layer to a project already rich with meaning.
In an era where retrospective projects often feel unnecessary, Now More Than Ever justifies its existence completely. It honours the past without becoming trapped by it, proving that great songs never lose their power when placed in the right hands.
This is not simply a revisit of the Gil Scott-Heron and Brian Jackson catalogue. It is a reminder of why those songs mattered in the first place, and why they still matter today.
Release Date: Available Now, get it here.
Label: BBE Music
Format: LP / Digital