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Album Review
by SashaS
22-4-2003
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| The War Child's 'Hope' 4 Iraqi children |
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Various: 'WarChild: Hope'
(London)
‘Hope’ for Iraqi children but not so for listeners
The line-up of artists – David Bowie, Spiritualized, Moby, New Order, George Michael – on ‘War Child: Hope’ is superb, but it is the cause that will sell the album, rather than the actual music. There are some goodies and newies among these 17 tracks but do you think that an artist/band would give their best, unreleased, song, to a benefit album? Well, charity doesn’t go that far…
Naturally, with such an array of artists, it feels patchy as it is bound to lack consistency. David Bowie offers a remix of a splendid ‘Everyone Says Hi’, New Order drop a radical reworking of Jimmy Cliff’s ‘Vietnam’ but there is also Ronan Keating covering Elvis Presley’s ‘In The Ghetto’ and not many sadder things you’ll hear all your life. Basement Jaxx and Yellowman go wild on ‘Love Is The Answer’ and Beth Orton simply shines on ‘Ooh Child’.
Avril Lavigne has reworked Bob Dylan’s classic ‘Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door’ and this wannabe ‘little sister’ of Axl W. Rose should have left it alone, she can’t handle it. And, by the way Guns N’Roses’ reading is (almost) definite! Sir Paul McCartney’s song smells of hypocrisy, as he is an outspoken pro-Iraqi war propagator; perhaps he thought he should donate a song on the grounds of ‘humanity’? What happened to your ‘hippy’ ideals? Pacifism? Sorry, that was Lennon and you can’t change the order of credits here!
Sir Macca has re-recorded his song ‘Calico Skies’ from 1997’s ‘Flaming Pie’ for the album; Yasuf Islam, ‘70s star Cat Stevens, has come out of self-enforced exile to redo his own hit ‘Peace Train’. As Travis – dropping a brand new cut, ‘The Beautiful Occupation’, here – frontman Fran Healy said, their hearts are firmly behind the WarChild project: “Our thoughts and prayers are with all those affected by this war. We hope that by contributing to the ‘Hope’ album we can help raise the much needed funds that will provide immediate aid and relief to the children of Iraq.”
The highlights are Basement Jaxx/Yellowman, the cyber-reggae of New Order, Moby’s atmo-bluesy ‘Never’ and, especially, Beverley Knight’s extra-soulful reading of Stevie Wonder’s ‘Love’s In Need Of Love Today’. And, the cool Orton...
‘Hope’ follows in the footsteps of last year’s NME/War Child album ‘One Love’ and 1995’s ‘Help!’, which raised £1.25 million for the charity. WarChild was founded in 1993 in response to the conflict in the former Yugoslavia. It has since expanded its fieldwork to conflicts around the world.
Top marks for the concern, caring, help… Peace.
7.5/10
SashaS
22-4-2003
‘WarChild – Hope’ album is released 21 April 2003 through London/WEA
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