Beat the Border

Geoffrey Oryema

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 5, 1993)
• Original Release Date: October 1, 1993
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Real World
• ASIN: B000000HOX
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #184,370 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Editorial Reviews

Product Description

On this album, the powerful roots of Oryema's African heritage have a more subtle influence on his music. One of the cornerstones of this recording is French guitarist Jean-Pierre Alarcen, who wrote the music for 'Hard Labour' and co-composed 'The River'. --This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of my very favorite albums, August 18, 1999

By	Clayton W. Hibbert (Seattle, WA, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brillient, May 3, 2000

By A Customer

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.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very strong CD, June 4, 2003

By	Rich Grace (Guerneville, CA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.