Ben Okafor - Acoustic Close-Up

Published Thursday 12th July 2007
Ben Okafor - Acoustic Close-Up
Ben Okafor - Acoustic Close-Up

STYLE: Roots/Acoustic
RATING 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8
OUR PRODUCT CODE: 21504-12037
LABEL: Plankton PCDN161
FORMAT: CD Album
ITEMS: 1
RRP: £10.00

Reviewed by Trevor Kirk

The many and various facets of the career of Ben Okafor have no place in this review - if you want to know more about this former Biafran boy soldier, political activist, actor, singer, songwriter and author, I can recommend a visit to Ben's website www.benokafor.com. Also, a recent Cross Rhythms article by Tony Cummings Redemption Songs From An Ex-Boy Soldier is also hugely informative. As regards this 2006 release, it's mainly Ben and his guitar (as you'd expect from the title) with some unobtrusive backing instruments and percussion. The whole idea was to recreate the feel of a live performance - Ben says that these songs have been part of his live sets for yonx, but he's never got round to putting them on an album. As anyone who's seen him live will testify, his philosophy is "educate, entertain and inform, and inspire people to ask the question 'How can we change this world?'" Running time is generous at over 67 minutes for 13 tracks, and production, thanks to the skills of Mark Stevens, is excellent.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

Interested in reviewing music? Find out more here.

Reader Comments

Posted by Paul Vincent in South London @ 21:10 on Feb 19 2007

This is a great album. It feels and sounds like a live album - fresh and not over produced.
Possibly my favourite Ben Okafor album so far.
This album deserves to take him to a much wider audience.
If you've always liked Ben's music, but never bought an album - now is the time to do so - or forever hang your head in shame !



The opinions expressed in the Reader Comments are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms.

Add your comment

We welcome your opinions but libellous and abusive comments are not allowed.












We are committed to protecting your privacy. By clicking 'Send comment' you consent to Cross Rhythms storing and processing your personal data. For more information about how we care for your data please see our privacy policy.