CD review: ‘WARchild’
By Susan Pugh on Aug. 27, 2008
By Blair Amberly
ARTIST:Emannuel Jal
LABEL: Sonic360
REVIEWER RATING: 4 out of 5
GENRE: World/hip hop/gospel
Emannuel Jal’s story is nothing short of amazing. While struggling to grow up in Sudan amid his country’s vicious civil war, Jal had witnessed the killing of most of his family and friends by the time he was 7. He was captured, enlisted in the Sudan Peoples Liberation Army, given an AK-47 and trained to kill. All of this occurred before he became a teenager. Through the graces of protector Emma McCune, a British foreign aid worker, he was smuggled to Kenya where Jal was given an education, love and new hope for life.
It was during this turnaround that he discovered the power of music, specifically gospel music. Jal now makes Christian gospel rap from London and uses his words and sounds to educate.
“WARchild,” Jal’s newest album, chronicles his experiences as a child in Africa. His social and political commentary is extremely powerful, with topics ranging from continuous African violence, depletion of African resources by foreign nations to American rapper 50 Cent being “played by the man.” His lyrics are direct, heartfelt and heavy.
Musically, the vibe on “WARchild” is positive. Uplifting riffs, well-programmed drums and gospel-inspired, harmonious vocals dominate. The sonic diversity of influences ranges from reggae, African folk, American hip hop/spoken word and gospel. Arising from the severity of Jal’s history and the earnestness of his lyrical introspection is an album that comes across as undeniably hopeful. Jal makes it clear that he now chooses music as his weapon for peace.
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