Gurrumul, RRAKALA, Skinnyfish Music and Justin Time Records, 2012.
Gurrumul is a blind guitar player of the Yolngu world of East Arnhemland, Australia. The album’s multi-instrumentalist, he sings in native languages, his voice pitched high, like Neil Young’s, but warmer, breathier, softened further by a steady vibrato. Gurrumul’s songs are traditional (translations in the gorgeously produced jacket), folky 4/4 rhythms behind soft, open voweled abab balanced verses that kind of roll soothingly along, in effect not far from Israel Kamakawiwo’ole’s beautiful Hawaiian ukeleleh rendition of “Somewhere over the Rainbow.” The more you listen, if you don’t find it monotonous, the more you like. Also, in case you’d never heard of Gurrumul, he is a world music star and sang for the Queen at her recent Jubilee.
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