Various Artists - Womadelaide 2010 (Album)
In its nineteenth year, the Womadelaide Festival is preparing to once again deliver an exquisite exhibition of music and culture from across the globe. Having previously showcased artists such as Neil Finn, Speed Caravan, Paul Kelly and The Cat Empire, Womadelaide is now regarded as one of the largest and most anticipated world music festivals in Australia.
In preparation for this year’s festival (running in Adelaide from the 5th until the 8th of March) the 2010 Womadelaide CD has been released in stores, featuring fourteen artists from fourteen different countries, who will all make a live appearance at the festival.
When faced with such a broad range of musical genres, it’s impossible to provide an in-depth critique in such a short review. However, what can be said, is that this CD features tracks of such diversity that it will cater to a wide range of musical tastes. For listeners seeking a compilation with consistent atmosphere, then Womadelaide 2010 is perhaps not the best album choice. However, the CD makes a fantastic sampler for people looking to expand their knowledge of world music.
The album begins with a somber piece of traditional Israeli music by Amal Murkus. Fused with a variety of pop elements, her sounds provide an interesting insight into music of the Middle East. The second track is then delivered by the more ‘up-beat’ Babylon Circus, a nine-piece band from France who sing of ‘La Cigarette’ –European culture practically oozes through your speakers.
The disc goes on to contain tracks from the US, UK, New Zealand, Finland, Ireland, Spain, Jamaica and Ethiopia. The range of genres are as diverse as ska-punk, reggae, classical folk and an experimental fusion concept created by Ojus De Brujo, which features traditional flamenco guitar merged with several hip-hop elements. Other artists on the album also breach conceptual and emotive ground, including Mariem Hassan’s lament as a refugee from the Western Sahara, a piece with strongly delivered vocals above an almost ‘Western country’ style guitar.
As a sneak-peak to this year’s festival, the Womadelaide 2010 CD offers an exotic selection of music, which reflects the varied traditions and cross-cultural nature of the world that we live in today. The music on Womadelaide 2010 cannot be easily pigeonholed, due to its highly diverse background, which makes it a unique album that’s well worth a listen in anticipation of the festival yet to come.
