Customer Reviews

Our Souls Have Grown Deep Like the Rivers

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

 

 

This is an excellent primer for poets and teachers, particularly if your interest lies in the development of the Black literary canon. A must have for slam-heads of any type. Very few of the fiery performances a lot of these poets are known to do. Incredible to hear some of the older poets (Langston Hughes, Arna Bontemps, Countee Cullen) reading their work, in light of the number of people who would (improperly) assume they would have frowned upon the current rave of spoken word/slamming.

It starts to peter out at the end, not necessarily catching the best work by some of the most recent additions (Saul Williams, Carl Hancock Rux, Tracie Morris), but I'd rather have these than nothing.

Not a lot of music...this isn't "Lyricist's Lounge" or the "SLAM" soundtrack, but excellent for anyone who claims to have a sense of where poetry's been and wants to see/hear how a solid poetry CD should be put together. More educational than fun, but an important collection nonetheless.

I enjoyed this set for many reasons. It is filled with the pictures, portraits and prose of, about, and from the poets featured inside. When listening to the voices of Langston Hughes, W.E.B. DuBois, Claude McKay, James Weldon Johnson, Countee Cullen -- the list goes on -- it is amazing to hear the clarity, consciousness, power and range of emotions in their distinctive voices. Some of the pieces date as early as the 1930's (ie: The Creation by James Weldon Johnson) and that in itself is pure history.

There are 38 selections on the first disc and 37 selections on the second, with the most current pieces being recorded in the late 90s (Tracie Morris, Saul Williams, Nikki Giovanni, etc). If you are a lover of spoken word and cherish the story telling, teaching and emotions it invokes, this is the collection for you. Youth of today need to take the time to learn where rap artists get their "voice" and spirit from, and I'm not talking about the mainstream songs plastered on tv and spit out of the radio these days. Take a listen to Public Enemy's "Black Steel In the Hour of Chaos" (track 34, second disc)

Spoken word is where it all began and the ancestors of this art continue to move and "speak" through us today.

Peace. CLB.

This is an amazing CD. The strongest selections include the readings by Amiri Baraka, Etheridge Knight, and Nikki Giovanni; Gil Scott-Heron's "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" (a must-have); Tracie Morris' "Project Princess"; and "Dark Symphony" by Melvin B. Tolson, which is utterly engaging, even if it sounds a bit insane. I was a bit disappointed by Langston Hughes' mundane and sentimental reading of "Harlem," and startled, both pleasantly and not, by Gwendolyn Brooks' offbeat reading of "We Real Cool." Still, Our Souls Have Grown Deep Like the Rivers is a remarkable journey, and a wonderful introduction to poetry. The CD also includes an interesting and informative booklet; all in all, the entire package may be a bit costly, but the price is more than worth it. Teachers will benefit highly from this CD, which serves as a wonderful accompaniment to any poetry unit. The CD's parts are great for that sort of thing, but they cannot compare to sum of its parts, a rich, spiritual journey into the heart and soul of poetry.

This CD set won the 2001 Audie Award for Poetry from the Audio Publishers Association. This is the ONLY national award for poetry on audio and, in winning, "Our Souls Have Grown Deep Like the Rivers" beat some very hot competition, including movie stars (Al Pacino,Patrick Stewart, Kathleen Turner, Ruby Dee, etc.) reading Shakespeare sonnets. In addition, the collection was awarded an Earphones Award from "AudioFile" magazine.

This CD is outstanding! The selections are inspiring and share a vast range of interests. Our sincere thanks to the contributing writers, poets and artists who continue to soothe and challenge our spirits with their spoken word.

A few things I think you should know before you buy, and you ought to buy: this is an essential collection, by far, for anyone interested in where poetry comes from. (And you can take that any way you want to!) First, almost all the poets are American. Second, it's not a sloppy compilation; it runs mostly chronologically and has the river theme as metaphor for longevity and timelessness and unstoppable power, surprising at times. Some of it is political... or maybe all of it is. Third, and most important, a caveat: this is for your ears only. Although there are really informative liner notes (tho the font makes them difficult to get into), there is no "lyric sheet." No way for the eye to see what the poets also intended their work to do. Most of the poetry here was created mindful of the page, and works quite well on it, and certainly would help preserve some measure of the poet's stature were it available at hand. (As it is, the Norton Anthology of African American Literature has most of them. Get it same time you order this.) You'll find the rivers run deep here, through European traditions and jazz and humor and regionality, cascading past the rapids of so much social strata that you begin to finally catch onto why this country sets the pace it does for the rest of the world.

This is a Historic Multi-Set.So Many Great minds with Words That Represent African-Americans In America&Beyond.The Ups,&Downs.The Journey For Peace Of Mind&Freedom.From Chains To Changes.In Justices to Self-Awareness.Black Pride&Respect To The Highest Power.Leadership&The Struggle Continues.Words That By Great Minds That Say Keep Fighting&Staying Strong.Love,Liberty&Life.Many Feelings&Emotions Are Expressed Here.A Very Essential Set Of Hope&History.