Gil Scott-Heron

Though long hailed on a cult level as one of the most inspirational warriors of ’70s soul music for his pointed social commentary and richly emotive, poetic lyricism, Gil Scott-Heron’s personal life in recent years has been no less than a tragic mess of drugs, poverty and incarceration. New Morning finds Heron during one of his brief positive moments back in 2001, performing at the Paris club of the same name. Surprisingly together given his much publicised crack addiction, Heron runs through classic cuts like "A Lovely Day” and "Did You Hear What They Said,” dancing and leading the audience through a funky call-and-response version of "Angel Dust,” and setting up "Winter In America” with a long, vamp-y introductory story via "Everybody Loves The Sunshine.” The enthusiastic, sturdy-voiced singer and his band wind down a set peppered with slick improvisations with fan favourite "The Bottle,” closing out a show that gives an interesting glimpse of what could have been all these years had Heron only found a reason to get his life straight.