Music for Change

Posted by IE in Foreign Exchange, Monthly (Monday October 31, 2005 at 3:28 pm)

Music, protest, and revolution carry long, inter-connected histories in the U.S. and around the world. From Jimi Hendrix’s electrifying satire of the “Star Spangled Banner” as an anti-war protest to Bob Marley’s call to “Get Up, Stand Up,” music has informed and spurred political awareness. In countries where democracy, peace, and government stability are scarce, music often represents much more than just entertainment. In the face of a host of glossy, watered-down attempts at crossover appeal, three CDs represent exceptional examples of music created to inspire political change — Jamaica’s I Wayne with Lava Ground (VP), Africa and Celtic Europe’s Baka Beyond with Rhythm Tree (March Hare), and Another World Is Possible (Uncivilized World) an anti-globalization compilation.

Traditional reggae has always simmered with socio-political messages but contemporary hybrids such as dancehall and pop reggae frequently shun any topic heavier than “bad man” boasts. However, 2005 heralds the return to roots reggae and the strong political and moral lyrics that are its hallmark. Roots singers like Damian Marley and Junior Kelly have already gained widespread popularity for songs about love, war, and the struggle for survival, and now I Wayne joins them with his trail-blazing debut, Lava Ground.

A break-out star in Jamaica since the arrival of his year-old hit, “Can’t Satisfy Her,” a hypnotic, deceptively sweet tale of prostitution and disease, I Wayne has helped power the movement away from frantic electronic riddims and raw lyrics about sex and violence. Crooning with a pure, high-pitched voice reminiscent of the late Garnet Silk, I Wayne manages to address vegetarianism, skin bleaching, and clean living without any hints of attacks or preaching. Opening with the beautifully acoustic “Life Seeds,” the singer sets the tone for the other 18 tracks. The title song boasts a sweeping rhythm and a quavering, sincere delivery that makes hard-hitting verses like “Di warrior nuh fear nuh death or any form of terror/pagans dis mistake they mek/they’ll be sorry they made an error,” melt into the background.

With a call for “more life, more joy, and prosperity,” on “More Life,” I Wayne manages to provide uplifting lyrics as well as warnings against a spiritless life. Balanced between lover’s rock ballads and bouncy riddims, *Lava Ground* encourages both enjoyment and movement towards different life choices.

Cultural exchange always promotes some sort of change, whether it’s outlook or arts appreciation. Baka Beyond go many steps further when they meld the music of Cameroonian rainforest pygmies or “Baka” with the sounds of Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Ghana, with traditional and modern Celtic melodies. A dynamic eight-piece band that traces the connections between cultures and music, Baka Beyond demonstrates how subtly music can change people.

Rhythm Tree is the group’s third, and perhaps most cohesive, album. The 10-track CD reflects the energy of the rainforest where much of it was recorded, as well as the smooth mixing of African percussion with European rhythms. The opening track, “Call Of The Forest,” features two Baka women singing a melodious traditional chant to lull the forest animals into a trance. Performed a capella with the echoing of insects and creatures in the backdrop, it’s an introduction into the Baka way of life. The next tune, “Kobo” reflects the blending of other West African sounds: the kora and talking drums, with Baka guitar playing. On still another level, “Sad Among Strangers” demonstrates the harmony among Baka chanting, African percussion, and a traditional Scottish walking song.

Rather than just fall back on simplistic ideas of one culture learning from another through music, Baka Beyond deals with concrete change. A music studio built from a single tree in the middle of the rain forest, the first indigenous-owned jungle nightclub, and a formal legal association for the Baka are all the results of royalties from Baka Beyond music. Rhythm Tree successfully combines music from different cultures, but it also instructs on the possibilities for long-term change through music.

Perhaps the most ambitious musical effort for change to date is Another World Is Possible, a 15-track CD within a 63-page book that explores the effects of globalization. No mere collection of musings and liner notes, the book boasts essays by Noam Chomsky, Iran’s Nobel Peace Prize winner Shiran Ebadi , Mexico’s freedom fighter, Subcommander Marcos, and Indian author Arundhati Roy, among others. It’s the CD, however, that reveals the most convincing effect of music for change.

Filled with a scintillating array of genres, languages, and lyrics, this album provides stimulation on many levels. Starting with “La Trampa” by Manu Chao, one of the world’s best-selling artists and an avid Zapatista, the stage is set for music filled with fun and fighting spirit. The CD offers a wide range of sounds and cultures, from the Asian Dub Syndicate covering The Clash’s “Police On My Back” to The Skatalites’ pumpin’ ska on “Freedom Sounds” to No One Is Innocent & Orchestre National de Barbés’ dark bhangra/techno track, “Le Poison.”

Besides enlisting recognizable icons such as Moby, Salif Keita, and Lee “Scratch” Perry, Another World Is Possible showcases a musical world in which artists can voice their opinions. The CD’s purpose, according to its French producer Arnaud Frisch, is to inspire listeners to learn about the dangers of globalization and debate about it. Even if that doesn’t happen, this CD still manages to promote change by simply presenting sounds and ideas that have never been gathered together before.

– Rosalind Cummings-Yeates