Thursday, October 18, 2007 Yap: Make some noise By Januar E. Yap Meanwhile
FIRST, the facts.
The United Nations say 400, 000 have died from violence and disease in Sudan due to tribal war, particularly in the province of Darfur. Some 4.5 million are displaced. Sudan’s government says over 9,000 civilians were killed. Downplayed, say non-government organizations.
Reports have it that the Sudan government has been secretly aiding the militia, the very culprit behind the spate of civilian killings and rape. There’s China, on the other hand, major investor in Sudan’s oil-explorations through PetroChina, which according to reports has been supportive of the Sudanese government.
Just in case you’re in for a trip down Lennon Lane, Yoko Ono has granted the Amnesty International (AI) the special rights to remake the legend’s songs.
“Make Some Noise: Campaign to Save Darfur” is an AI-produced album containing John Lennon tracks sang by high profile artists like U2, REM, Blackeyed Peas, Corinne Bailey Rae, Green Day, Matisyahu, Regina Spektor, The Cure, Lenny Kravitz, Deftones, Avril Lavigne, Aerosmith, A-Ha, among others.
It’s a double album, with 28 songs and a brief literature on Darfur and the AI’s humanitarian efforts. After Lennon, it seems songs with claims of idealism have the hues of “Imagine.” It’s by far the best buy I had this season. Here are some of my thoughts on some of the tracks.
“Watching the Wheels,” sang by Matisyahu. One of my favorite Lennon songs, a bystander’s anthem, “Watching” gets a makeover by the New York-bred reggae artist whose spirit is stuffed with Torah teachings. Imagine the Rasta-Rabbi concoction.
“Imagine.” “Make Some Noise” has two versions: Jack Johnson’s and Avril Lavigne’s. The original indubitably is awash in genius, but Avril’s illustrates fragility. With her, “Imagine” is an activist’s placard laced with silk. The version draws out the tender and humane sensibility of the song. Jack Johnson’s version is also something else.
“Real Love.” Factoring in personal themes, I have this song tucked in my bones. Regina Spektor is simply spectacular. It’s just right that Spektor’s web artist had particularly magnified the “RE” and “SPEKT” of her name.
A strand of Doestoevsky DNA must have weaved through Regina, Russian-born artist with superb flair for the piano and whose songs have graced “Grey’s Anatomy’s” and “CSI’s” musical scores. It’s tempting to say, too, that she sounds like Bjork, but Regina’s “Real Love” celebrates the deep, solitary, implacable feeling of being in love.
“Beautiful Boy.” The father ages, his voice cracks, but sings his assurance to a son crossing the street for the first time. Ben Harper’s version turns the fear to the father himself. Ben was named Artiste de L’Annee (Artist of the Year) of the French Rolling Stones Magazine.
“Make Some Noise” is at once my movable feast for so many reasons. A few years ago, I never imagined one Pinoy rock artist dropping by my pad one night would sing a Sinatra song after a few bottles. We are, of course, in the wonderful age when Rod Stewart would do a Satchmo or Pavarotti belting out a Tracy Chapman. Not to mention what our boys are doing for Apo.
But “Make Some Noise” you should buy from the record stores now. At the back cover, it says it’s “bad karma” if you copy the tracks. Besides, if there are precipitates of the good old idealist in your soul, your money will go a long way to humanitarian efforts in Darfur.
