Soulful, Serious, Sensational
For anyone getting into soul and funk, Gil Scott-Heron is a must-listen. There are not many other voices that capture a genuine sense of authenticity and personality so effortlessly through song. On Angola, Louisiana, Heron addresses the wrongful imprisonment of Gary Tyler, a 17-year-old black student accused of shooting a white student outside of Destrehan High School in 1974. Despite irrefutable evidence found against his arrest, Gary Tyler was imprisoned in 1975 in Angola and remained for 41 years until finally being released in 2016. Tyler's mother reached out to Heron, as noted in the song, which inspired its composition. Not only does Heron address the discriminatory act, but he also provides the harrowing realization that this could have happened to any person of color, himself included.
The lyrical tone is conveyed in the music as well. With momentum similar to a higher-BPM selection, a melancholic force drives through this song thanks to the consistent tambourine and weighty drumming. Only laying a a bass and keys over the rhythm, Heron's warm delivery fills out the deep disco composition.
You'll have to listen to Heron himself, but I hope you didn't mind me "painting a picture of Angola, Louisiana."
great pick and good write up on it too. we need more people curating music artists from steemit and dtube.
I am running an experiment here on steemit with the aim of improving retention and the steemit experience and after looking at your account I think it is something you might enjoy. come on over and join in on the discussion
https://steemit.com/steemit/@paulag/let-s-grow-steemit-together-direct-engagement-experiment-week-1