Living Is Hard: West African Music in Britain [Import]

Various Artists (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 27, 2008)
• Original Release Date: 2008
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: Emd Int'l
• ASIN: B0015XQG4U
• In-Print Editions: Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #337,482 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Living is Hard, Listening is Easy!, August 27, 2008

By 

Josh Z. Bonder "a sound painter" (Toronto) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Living Is Hard: West African Music in Britain (Audio CD)

As a big fan of vintage world music with a penchant for all manner of African styles, I'm pleased as punch with this collection. Are these pure unaffected West African songs? Not quite. Were they even recorded in Africa? Not even close. But don't let either of those factors dictate your decision. This collection is brimming with music of the highest calibre, and should impress and astonish the discerning world music collector.

The tunes on this CD range quite a bit stylistically, some retaining quite a traditional west African feel, while others (though still undoubtedly African in origin) display the effects of cross-cultural mingling, particularly with other popular African American or African European styles of the day. This does not detract from the music to my ears, and adds layers of complexity and meaning. This "bastardization" may read as tragic for some, but ultimately it only serves to create a rich and multi-faceted listening experience which says something of the time and place in which these songs were recorded.

The tracks themselves present an incredible variety of instrumentations and styles, from gorgeous guitar/vocal pieces, to some astonishing drum ensemble work, to outright bizarre growled vocal performances, to some larger ensemble pieces and vocal choruses. This album has only grown on me since I purchased it, and I must say that it's one of the most satisfying vintage African collections I've heard in quite a while. This is allegedly the first in a series of world music releases from the people at Honest Jon's, and I for one am very eagerly anticipating their next release. Very highly recommended to anyone whose interests brought them this far.