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It is difficult, as a Christian, to approach the political situation in Israel. We know that the land was promised (and delivered) many thousands of years ago to the people of Abraham, the Jews, as part of the covenant between that nation and God. But as the Jews have returned to their homeland in the latter half of the 20th century, the acts that have been committed against those who have lived in that place for generations go completely against the principles of justice and love which Christ taught us to uphold when he brought us into a new covenant. Jonny Baker, one half of Jonny's In The Basement along with Jon Birch, was deeply affected by a visit to Israel. The oppression of the Palestinian people continues despite the various "peace settlements" and there is little justice. Through the layered dance beats and myriad influences here--there are definite hints of middle eastern influence on tracks like "mercy" and the jazz sounds increasingly prevalent in laid back dance have obviously influenced bass lines throughout the album. The music serves as a powerful medium through which outrage and pain mix with questions and a pinch of hope as the songwriters seek to work through the situation in their music. It is a cruel twist of fate that a people for so long oppressed have become in many ways the oppressors. But the blame does not lie solely in one place, and the tracks "mercy" and "terrorist" bring the focus closer to home to the countries who support both politically and with arms oppressive regimes across the world. denial of most basic human rightsThreads of hope come from any situation from the people that are there working for justice. The album ends with a track titled "hope": When night is at its darkest appears the morning starIt is interesting to look back to some of the books of prophecy contained within the bible and to see echoes of some of the sentiments contained here. That is no coincidence as the track "justice"--a spoken word track wherein Baker tells the story of his visit to Israel--draws very clear links to the book of Amos and the continued relevance of those words. The female vocals on the chorus and understated production show the skills of Jon Birch have certainly developed since these two artists collaborated in 1994 for the Whose Earth album. An extremely cohesive production, Backbone ties together a broad cross-section of dance sounds to produce a powerful musical experience. The lyrics are harsh ("Give me some Lebensraum/I'm a child of Abraham" from "home" is nothing if not striking) but this is a piece which seeks to both engage with Old Testament prophecies and inspire listeners to consider the place of justice within the modern world. As the protests against the World Trade Organization remain fresh in the mind and the conflict in Chechnya continues unabated, this is an important cry in the wilderness. James Stewart 1/15/2000
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