 Sometimes an album comes along that knocks you sideways; an album that hits your heart and your head and redefines everything that’s gone before. An album that’s so personal you want to keep it for yourself but so sweet you have no choice but to share it with others. Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu, known simply as Gurrumul, is very simply a musical genius. He happens to be a native Australian, from the Armhemland area of the northern-most Northern Territories. He happens to be blind, he also happens to play a right-strung guitar left-handed, approaching the strings from beneath with an almost clenched fist. But there's only beauty in his voice, a voice of angels, of wind over water, of rock made smooth with time. This exceptional collection stuns in its simplicity; from the first, likely Grammy-award winning track, Wiyathul, his music stirs something deep and elemental. So it is throughout the entire album. Even the initial jarring use of English in Gurrumul history (I was born blind), soon becomes a beloved topographical feature. Experience the ancestral beauty of Baywara, or Gathu Mawula, where changing tides are likened to the arms of an octopus, thoughtfully explained in the enclosed translation. I defy anyone to hear Marwurrumburr without recalling old songs, tears cried, friends lost. Already recognised in his homeland, this superb album will undoubtedly launch Gurrumul to world music superstardom. To see him, to hear his contemporary take on traditional songs and stories, is to recognise outstanding talent and to know musical greatness. I can’t pretend to comprehend the life whose suffering and history brings forth such an array of gentle melodies and rhythms. I can only urge you to listen for yourselves and to discover whether this truly great artist works his deceptively simple magic on you, too.
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| | | | Overall Rating | | 10 | | Vocals / Lyrics | | 10 | | Musicianship | | 10 | | Production | | 8 | | Creativity | | 9 | | Lastability | | 10 | | Reviewers Tilt | | 8 |
93% | |
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