SPIN
March 2011
Link
7/10
Slick sonic upstart meets rawboned proto-rap sage
Hip-hop godfather Gil Scott-Heron was 2010's comeback kid, but his I'm New Here was remarkable for the former Rikers inmate's grizzled reflections more than its eclectically rootsy sonics. London up-and-comers the xx won 2010's Mercury Prize, but their debut seduced primarily through Jamie Smith's skeletal, intimate electronics. So strength meets strength on this unusual album-length remix, as Smith's skittering beats and ghostly soul divas put Scott-Heron right where he belongs: in the future. See especially "My Cloud," a former bonus track turned powerful electro-R&B lullaby.
