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Review:
—Living Like A Refugee was recorded throughout the production of the The Refugee All Stars film, between August 2002 and October 2005. Each song is an original composition written during the Refugee All Star's years in exile from their wartorn homeland of Sierra Leone and, taken as a whole, the album serves as a musical document of the band's incredible journey.
Featuring field recordings from the refugee camps in Guinea as well as studio efforts at Sam Jones' Island Studios in Freetown, these 17 tracks tell the story of life in the camps ("Living Like A Refugee"). Facing hunger ("Bull To The Weak"), celebrating family on "Ya N'Digba," a song for bandleader Reuben's mother, enduring the horrors of war ("Kele Mani," "Weapon Conflict") and of thanks ("Compliments For The Peace"), Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars are a testament to the indomitable human spirit and the transcendent power of music.
While each of the stories in these songs is told from the band's personal experience, it is the special gift of Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars that the messages they deliver are truly universal. Born in the midst of a violent, decade-long civil war, through music, they have found a place of refuge, a sense of purpose and a source of power. The band have seen the worst that this world can offer - yet, through their unflinching spirit and joyful music, they celebrate the best in all of us.—Courtesy Calabash Music
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