Customer Reviews

Beat the Border

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This, Geoffrey Oryema's second album, remains his finest to date, and among the most powerful and compelling "world" music I've ever heard.

From the incredible opening track, "The River," to the closing lullaby, "Nomad", Beat the Border hooks the listener and never lets go. Borrowing certain structures from Western music, Oryema remains firmly African. He manages somehow to be stirring, thought-provoking, and stay-in-your-head catchy, but never ever slides into pop-music cliche.

It's a style that few can pull off, but Geoffrey Oryema has mastered it. Highly recommended.

Beat The Border" is another unusual album of nature and traditional songs from the Ugandan singer Geoffrey Oreyma. All the songs are sung in his native Acholi and translated into English on the sleeve. For purists who love "Real World Music" artists. This music's resonance and intensity as well the spiritual power and diversity of Geoffrey Oreyma voice in his native tongue. Make's this album one that will NOT disappoint. The music as with the majority of Uganda musicians is mellow and soothing. Some songs such as "Nomad" have a melancholy feel capturing well the wandering uncertainty of the herdsmen of the African Savannah. This album is another great album and is highly recommended for long journeys in a convertible on the open road for all those people with the gypsies spirit still in their soul.

This is a very good example of world music; Oryema has integrity and his music is both fraught with feeling and charged with the masculine strength of African beats and rhythms. Perhaps no better example of this exists anywhere than in the opening track "The River," which offers gripping backup vocals and a powerful sense of place. The entire CD follows up well, particularly with the moving "Hard Labor" that touches effectively on the various walks of life in a damaged African society. An exile from Uganda, Oryema displays a greater sense of time and place than most Western musicians. this one is a hands-down winner, and I will be buying more of Oryema's work.

This is my first exposure to Oryema, and it's very impressive. Every track is good, several are tremendous, and the album is highly coherent taken together. I especially enjoy "Lapwony", a very wistful number, and "Gang Deyo" which sounds more traditional. Instrumentation is very tasteful, with both African and western implements utilized and blended nearly perfectly. This is not complex music, as one expects from a basically folk source, so the soulfulness of it is crucial. This is monumentally soulful.

When I first heard this CD I was shocked. I was expecting a style more like his CD 'Exile' and it was not the same. It does have more of a Western influence but there is a deep beauty and sadness in this CD as well.

I have not seen 'Night to Night' is other CD listed on Amazon.com but I do recommend it as well. It too is different from the previous two (Exile and Beat the Border) but incredibly poetic.

Like many of the reviewers I discovered G through a music sampler. Market Day was the song (also on this record). Oryema's voice really caught my ear with his awesome lows. There is a somber tone to most of his songs here, but they are very captivating and powerful in a empathetic way. You can feel the hurt/pain in his voice sometimes. Some songs are in English, others are in Acholi, which the book notes kindly translate. Though I only have this cd, I anxiously await the others I have already ordered! This guy has me hooked. I don't have a vast knowledge of contemporary African music, but I enjoy his mixture of traditional and modern sound/technology. I would recommend this CD to anyone who want ot hear something new and unique from the doldrums of the garbage the radio churns out on a daily basis.

The other reviews here posted do not exagerrate. This is an album which transcends cultural and musical boundaries, and achieves the level of timeless art. I know of no other album which has so affected me, transported me, made me experience the Spirit. Oryema's other albums, as others have said, are not as good as this one, but that's like saying that Beethoven is not as good as Bach; they are still excellent albums, each containing the elements of melancholy, spirituality, and virtuosity. But Beat the Border is truly special. There is no one who can promise you ecstasy in this life, but I think it is safe to say, you have a better chance at it listening to this album than you do if you neglect to listen to it. Word to the wise.

A must have masterpiece of the highest order.The combination of Geoffrey's haunting voice and African instrumentation paints images of high, wind swept savannah grasslands. Exotically melancholy from the first notes to the final soul baring words of "Nomad". The quintessence of Oryema's gift of music.

I first heard Oryema when a friend played a track (Gang Deyo) off of Beat the Border for me. I was instantly intrigued, and when I heard more songs, I added the album to my "must have" list. I received it as a gift from my mom, who went out and bought a copy for herself and a friend within hours of first hearing my copy. I have since sold several other friends on the album in much the same way: One listen, and they're hooked.

Oryema's vocals are magical and the lyrics are poetic, inspiring, and intense. Adding to this the talents of Brian Eno, Bob Ezrin (producer-Pink Floyd, etc.), Manu Katche (drummer-Peter Gabriel, Sting, etc.), Ayub Ogada, etc. etc. creates a stunning album.

Unfortunately, those looking for another experience like Beat the Border are unlikely to find it in either of Oryema's 2 other albums on Real World (Exile and Night to Night). Both are good, but nothing like this one.

I have enjoyed and loved this CD for at least a decade. It flows...each song moves into the next one with ease. By the time you are done listening you will find yourself so relaxed! Great music.