Project Description
BOOROOK
“Keep The Dream Alive”
1st May 2020
(Album Review)
Reviewer: Melanie Griffiths
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Artist Boorook has released his debut album, “Keep The Dream Alive”. A swag of songs glimmering with funked edged rhythms and uplifting lyrics.
The self-produced artist from South West Victoria’s Kirrae Whurrung tribe is creatively motivated to instil positive change and social justice through his music.
“Keep The Dream Alive” delves into the experiences of an Indigenous man as he delivers stories whilst shining a light on social and environmental issues that affect us all.
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Want to know what Boorook is all about? He’ll lay it all out with the first track and title of the album, “Keep The Dream Alive”. The song has significant meaning to the artist as it’s a reminder to not only himself but for others to recognise where you came from, follow your dreams and stand up for your rights. Its message of empowerment nestles within a funk roots-based groove, not unlike Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals. Layered within the song is a didgeridoo which ties everything together. It’s the danciest song on the album and a solid introduction to a style of music a lot us may not have a lot of experience with.
Almost seamlessly the album continues with “Endlessly”. A smooth track that vividly paints a picture of the importance of Boorook to maintain and protect the land. The lyrics touch on depictions of a Mother Earth under duress and our responsibility to protect it. It’s a song that plays it straight in its arrangement including Boorook’s approach to his vocals instead, letting the guitars guide the listener along which only serves to strengthen the overall composition. After the horrific bushfires that swept through Australia this year, “Endlessly” feels even more poignant, it’s a message that hits close to home not just for his tribe but for all of us.
His most accusatory and angry song “Corruption” calls out the inequities and exploitation of Indigenous people. Its blistering guitars crackles with a sense of uprising as Boorook sees how a nation of people has been abused for other’s gains.
“Corruption causing a big eruption, destruction now of a nation. Dollar signs in their eyes, cold-hearted lies. We see through it all”.
The singer, however, manages to infuse his lyrics with a sense of social justice, calling for unity with the intention of enlightening people to know there is power in numbers.
“Rainbow Healin’s” unhurried pace has so much laconic swagger it’s clearly not too about driving home a message instead enticing you to let its bluesy folk driven rhythm to get you swaying. Possibly referring to the idea of Rainbow Nation, this is a term first coined by Desmond Tutu about post-apartheid South Africa. Rainbow Nation recognises not only our multicultural ties but also our inherent and equally important connection to the world around us.
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For a debut album the mixing on this album is certainly one that makes you sit up and listen. Navigating the line of a live performance the guitars especially in “A Friend In Need”, sound clear and the lack of gimmicky or heavy-handed production allows for Boorook’s voice to sit at the forefront. Of all songs on this album this feels like it represents how Boorook sees his place in the world. Understanding we don’t walk this journey alone and that when you rise above it all you are free no matter your situation.
A common characteristic of world music is the themes of unity and the ideas of consciousness. Unlike the wave of impuissant “woke-pop” that presents itself in the same vein, world music and consciousness rap, especially those by Indigenous individuals are borne from the immense challenges experienced in their lives, there’s actual authenticity in the music. Demonstrating that honesty, “Callin’ You Callin’ Me” speaks of the pull that Boorook feels to his country. Country being not only the environment but the whispers of past ancestors, it’s a call to be true to your identity.
Guaranteed to get you to at least shuffle side to side, “Move Ya Feet” is a bluesy morsel marking the halfway point on the album and a more downtempo vibe. Its repetitive lyrics and beat is infectious and would have sat better a little earlier in the record. Nevertheless, there’s not too much to dissect of the song, it’s pretty self-explanatory but that’s probably the point. Don’t think so hard and just enjoy the moment.
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“Sacred To Me” is a song very close to Boorook’s heart, “The song is about a sacred river in my traditional homelands which has become sick due to irrigation and farming chemicals runoff polluting the waterways”. This song lands as one of the most emotional songs on the album, with the river almost becoming a character itself, one whose abuse and lack of care has caused heartache to Boorook. However, like much of his other songs, the singer not only implores us to heal and respect the lands but soulfully suggests that it is something we can achieve together. If you want to know the power of one and feel like you can make a difference this album is going to do just that.
As a bookend to “A Friend In Need”, “I’ll Be There To Help” is a personal offering of help to a friend in trouble. This song is given a lot of empty space amongst the arrangement which feels very fitting allowing Boorook’s vocals to reverberate through. The song is essentially a mantra and suggests that it’s not just a matter of offering help once, it’s a process one must keep doing. It points once again to the motivations of Boorook’s creativity that these songs a very personal but at the same time still accessible to a broader audience. His narrative style is a strong point on the album and “I’ll Be There To Help” is one that feels straight from a real-life experience.
The third act of “Keep The Dream Alive” features songs that are self-reflective and full of grace, perhaps none so emotional as “In My Heart”. A ballad that again utilises a simple arrangement that makes the song feel very intimate as Boorook expresses the sense of loss and longing for someone who has passed over. Boorook’s gift of songwriting shows a real ability to convey empathy which we will hopefully see develop as he digs deeper into self.
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One gets the sense that Boorook has produced an album that is as much for other Indigenous Australians like himself. However, Boorook has also achieved making his uplifting message feel universal. “Sacred Life We’re Living” is the pick me up that you need after troubled times. With the addition of that fantastic didgeridoo and its country roots, this song has a broad universal appeal.
Closing out this journey of contemplation is Boorook and his guitar. “Nothing Will Be The Same Without You” is a conversation that brims with hope for the future.
“No one knows what I know or see what I seen. So how could they know where I’ve been? They don’t know nothing. They don’t know me”.
He may say we don’t know him but Boorook is letting us in, to have a glimpse of the realities and hopes of a Kirrae Whurrung man.
For a debut album there is much to ponder on “Keep The Dream Alive”. For Boorook as an artist, his strength lies in his ability to story-tell, giving the listener a unique look into the culture of the Kirra Whurrung tribe. These are the voices we don’t hear often enough and hopefully, there will be more to come as Boorook’s perspective and voice are a vital part in the chorus of Australian music.
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BOOROOK’s new single “Almost Home” is out NOW.
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Check out BOOROOK below
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