Exile (Geoffrey Oryema album)

Summary

Exile is the debut album by the Ugandan musician Geoffrey Oryema.[1][2] It was released in 1990. The album has sold more than 50,000 copies.[3]

Exile
Studio album by
Released1990
Recorded1990
GenreWorld Music
Length37:23
LabelReal World
ProducerBrian Eno
Geoffrey Oryema chronology
Exile
(1990)
Beat the Border
(1993)

Oryema escaped his country after his father was assassinated during the rule of Idi Amin, as chronicled in "Solitude".[4] Many of the songs contain nostalgia about the land and the people Oryema had to leave.

Production edit

The album was produced by Brian Eno, with Eno and Peter Gabriel providing backing vocals on some songs.[5] It was engineered by David Bottrill.[6] Oryema played the lukeme, among other instruments.[7] He sang in Acoli, English, and Swahili.[8] The title track calls for an end to tribal fighting in Africa.[9]

Critical reception edit

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [10]
Los Angeles Daily News    [11]
Select     [12]

The Los Angeles Daily News stated that "Oryema is a folk artist who sings in a syncopated style to the minimal backing of percussion, acoustic guitars and a seven-string harp called a nanga."[11] The Syracuse Herald-Journal wrote that "the music is lively, the vocals intense."[13]

Track listing edit

All tracks written and composed by Geoffrey Oryema, unless noted.

  1. "Piny Runa Woko"
  2. "Land of Anaka" (Geoffrey Oryema and Brian Eno)
  3. "Piri Wango Iya"
  4. "Ye Ye Ye"
  5. "Lacan Woto Kumu"
  6. "Makambo" (music from "Likambo Ya Ngana" by Franco Luambo, uncredited)
  7. "Jok Omako Nyako"
  8. "Solitude"
  9. "Lubanga"
  10. "Exile"

References edit

  1. ^ "Exile by Geoffrey Oryema". Interview. 21 (4): 38. Apr 1991.
  2. ^ Loop, Dwight (4 Mar 1994). "Loop de Loop". Pasatiempo. The Santa Fe New Mexican. p. 16.
  3. ^ Levesque, Roger (31 Dec 1993). "Real World sounds really taking root". Edmonton Journal. p. E4.
  4. ^ Elder, Bruce (January 22, 1991). "Opportunities for the Adventurous". News and Features. The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 12.
  5. ^ Chadwick, Alex (Mar 17, 1992). "'Exile' Album by Ugandan with Folk Tradition". Morning Edition. NPR.
  6. ^ Jennings, Nicholas (3 July 1996). "Ugandan singer Oryema's Canadian connections deep". Toronto Star. p. D1.
  7. ^ Maples, Tina (5 Sep 1993). "Geoffrey Oryema". The Milwaukee Journal. p. E10.
  8. ^ Eng, Monica (September 10, 1993). "World Stops Here". Weekend Plus. Chicago Sun-Times. p. 5.
  9. ^ Daly, Mike (February 4, 1993). "Rich Womad musical weave". Green Guide. The Age. p. 10.
  10. ^ Roberts, John Storm. Exile at AllMusic
  11. ^ a b Shuster, Fred (May 10, 1991). "Sound Check". Los Angeles Daily News. p. L47.
  12. ^ Sexton, Paul (October 1990). "Geoffrey Oryema: Exile". Select. No. 4. p. 110.
  13. ^ Bourke, Brian G. (July 25, 1991). "Groove to a World Beat". Syracuse Herald-Journal. p. HJ9.