Customer Reviews

In the Name of Love: Africa Celebrates U2

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you are a fan of U2, these different approaches to some of their classic songs are worth a listen. I didn't like all of them, but I did love Angelique Kidjo's "Mysterious Ways", Vusi Mahlasela's "Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own", and the Soweto Gospel Choir's "Pride (In The Name Of Love)" enough to buy the MP3 singles of those songs. I'd give each of those songs 5-stars, and the album 4-stars overall only because I didn't enjoy some of the other songs quite as much.

"In the name of love" is an amazing fusion of African artists celebrating the music of the Irish alt. rock band U2. It's all electrifying; there isn't any filler. "In the name of love" takes U2's radio-friendly hits to a new level. It's a covers album that breathes new life into the Irish band's compositions.

Benin's Angelique Kidjo and Mali's Vieux Farka Toure transform "Mysterious Ways" and "Bullet the Blue Sky" into hypnotic,mystical masterpieces. Guinea's Ba Cissoko turns "Sunday Bloody Sunday" into a primal,earthy chant. U2's song about the Times of the Troubles in Northern Ireland is equally relevant to the inter-tribal warfare in Africa. South Africa's Vusi Mahlasela, Nigeria's Tony Allen, Senegal's Cheikh Lo, and the Soweto Gospel Choir turn "Sometimes you can't make it on your own","I still haven't found what I'm looking for" and "Where the streets have no name" as well as "Pride (in the name of love)" into urban hymns. They hearken back to U2's origins as a born-again Christian band. Les Nubians turn "With or without you" into Afro girl-pop. The Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars and the Boston-based African Underground All-Stars show the gritty,urban roots of "Seconds" and "Desire." The album closes with Angola's Waldemar Bastos deftly transforming "Love is blindness" into a lament.

"In the name of love" is flavorful music for pop and Afropop fans alike. It's powerful, beautiful music for a great cause. A portion of the profits goes to the Global Fund,battling HIV/AIDS and malaria in Africa. Music is healing.

This CD is really amazing. I'm not much on CD's where other artists cover songs made popular by another band. However, the versions here are often so different that they give the song a different texture and point of view. Granted, one or two of the tunes don't vary that much from the originals (ex. Mysterious Ways), but most use the original song only as a jumping off point to add the artists own interpretation and sound to the song. If you are a U2 fan I think this CD is essential. If nothing else it will just remind you of a few of the great songs they have written and how their great songs can be translated across cultures and still have a powerful artistic and emotional punch.

Good album. Huge U2 fan but am somewhat "tired" of listening to my cds over and over. This album features African artists totally redoing great songs in a fresh way. Surely Bono and the boys enjoyed listening to this one.

This CD is so cool! It ranks up there with "My Father was a Beatle" and "If I were a Carpenter". The liner notes are super cool too, discussing the country of origin of the artists and man of the "almanac details" that help describe the artists homes.

Several songs are very good, the good thing about these music is that every single track has that particular touch that only african music can make you feel.

Terrific compact disc, with very interesting twists and interpretations of great U2 songs.

I am a HUGE U2 fan, and fans are often persnickety about their favorite band's music, as though no one else could ever do it justice. While some songs on this disc are better than others, I think each one brings a new feel and dimension to U2 songs that were already deep in meaning. My personal favorites are "Mysterious Ways," "Bullet the Blue Sky," "Seconds," and "Love Is Blindness," but I invite you to listen and judge for yourself. Naturally I recommend this CD: I bought one for a birthday present and wound up getting another one for myself.

This is the best tribute to U2 ever done, but also one of the better tribute CDs to any artist to come out in the past few years. There's a lot of great tracks and only a couple of stinkers.

If you're looking for tracks to download "Seconds" by Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars is the best track on the disc. I've always loved that song and I have to say they've added greatness to it (which is really the most you can ever hope for in a tribute album). "Bullet the Blue Sky" by Vieux Farka Toure is the other great track. He's made it his own haunting version.

I love this cd. Every artist/group gave a differend sound to the songs.
U2 should be very pleased with it too!

The roster of artists are some of the best and brightest out of Africa today, and the renditions breathe a new life into the U2 classics. I'm especially digging the Soweto Gospel Choir take on Pride (In the Name of Love), and always a fan of Vieux Farka Toure's Malian blues guitar-- he does a great job with Bullet the Blue Sky. All around solid collection.