CD: Red Sands Dreaming

There's something very peculiar about a sacred tribal world music tradition recording that seemingly models itself after hip-hop and pop, but that's exactly what Red Sands Dreaming has done. Red Sands Dreaming's Global Collective is a collection of traditional Aboriginal songs dating back 4 thousand years or so that have been redone by three contemporary producers. The result is an interesting, but questionable. Some may come from a school of thought that says Aboriginal chants and things of that nature should never be put to the same hip-hop beat that Shaggy or Will Smith has used, but perhaps this is a way to get a greater pop and commercial appeal to a sacred tribal music; but at the same time, if you enjoy the sound contemporary smooth jazz with the sound of a strange and rhythmic vocal work over the top then this might be perfect. An example might be this: try imagining the music of Michael Bolton crossed with the vocal works of Palestrina; while the music would be different, to say the least, the result would be the same, a seemingly hybrid fusion that falls short. On the other hand, repeated listens to this recording show that it does have some potential, but verily it was a much better idea in theory than in practice. If you enjoy musical hybrids, such as world music fused with more Western traditions, then this a disc that you might really enjoy. The recording quality is good, the production is good, and, overall, the work isn't that bad."