On July 2, 2005, when much of the rest of the world was watching
U2 preach on bombastically, or the
Black Eyed Peas or
Dave Matthews Band or
Paul McCartney put on an extravagant performance, 5000 people in the south of England were watching some of the most talented African musicians -- those whose lives were more intimately involved in the problems
Bob Geldof was trying to fix -- present their cultures and their ideas and their abilities. Yes, the other Live 8 concerts in major cities around the world focused on the plight of Africa, but there was, strangely, a noticeable dearth of African artists, a fact that was finally noticed and so at the last minute a show was arranged in Cornwall, England at the Eden Project, a kind of biome park, featuring some of the biggest of the continent's stars, including
Youssou N'Dour, who also performed in London, and who bookends the album
Live 8 at Eden: Africa Calling. It is especially the closer, "New Africa," that echoes the message that the artists were trying to convey: that Africa has myriad cultures and musical traditions to share, that they are more than just victims, that they are artists. Zimbabweans
Thomas Mapfumo & the Blacks Unlimited supply the lilting "Kuvaria Mukati," while Sudanese
Emmanuel Jal raps over live funk instrumentation on "Gua."
Angélique Kidjo, another big name on the world scene, adds her mix of soul and Beninese music on "Agolo," but it is, perhaps, the Mozambique-born Portugal-raised
Mariza, whose fado, "Barco Negro," is the most affecting of all the pieces, the singer's voice emotional and vulnerable yet very, very sure at the same time. The sound quality of
Live 8 at Eden: Africa Calling is pristine, capturing the live energy of the concert, and is an excellent document for those not fortunate enough to be there that this was a very good -- and very pertinent -- show.