Garifuna Music: Field Recordings From Belize is exactly what it sounds like. It is the music of the Garifuna performed by various musicians and recorded between 2002-2004. It is 16 songs with titles you can't pronounce celebrating things we don't understand. A lot of it is played on instruments that aren't exactly the electric guitar and bass.
Turtle shells, shell rattles and conch shells are combined with drums and other instruments to create music that is a celebration of the Garifuna and where they live. What does this mean to someone not familiar with the culture or its history? Surprisingly, not much. Without that knowledge, the music lacks much of its punch.
I'm sure if I had any knowledge of or interest in the Garifuna, I would find this music to be a fascinating cultural study of a people out of time. I don't have knowledge of or interest in them, however, so this affects me in much the same way modern hip-hop does -- something to be shrugged off and used to sell hamburgers. The more cultured among you may have a totally different reaction, but I'm left with less of a sense of wonder and more of a "eh, it's okay," dismissal.
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