Template:Unreviewed Rrakala is ...
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Rrakala is the second album from Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu. It is performed in a mixture of both Yolngu and English. Gurrumul plays piano, drums, nylon string acoustic guitar, electric and acoustic guitars. [2]
It reached number three on the ARIA charts. [3]
At the 2011 ARIA awards, "Rrakala" won the award for Best World Music Album.[4] It was also nominated for album of the year, Best Male Artist, Best Independent Release and Best Cover Artist.[5]
The album had 12 tracks, the same number as it's predecessor Gurrumul [6] All tracks were written by Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu. [7]
The abc reviewed the album, saying "While Gurrumul won the hearts of the world with his debut album Gurrumul back in 2008, in his latest full-length Rrakala he cements his place in the world as a unique voice, gifted, and arguably, one of the most important Indigenous Australians of our time."[8]
Iain Shedden of The Australian gave the album 4 of out 5 stars saying "Central to all 12 tracks is Gurrumul's astonishing voice. It's an instrument of rare power and beauty; seductive, sometimes sweet, but with a rasp to it in places. All of the lyrics are of a spiritual nature, focused entirely on the culture of his homeland, Elcho Island in northeast Arnhem Land, whether it be in the spirits of ancestors (Baru) or in the sheer beauty and tranquillity of the land (Mala Rrakpala, Gopuru)". He continued saying "Rrakala's limited instrumentation makes it a tad one-dimensional. Nevertheless, it's one hell of a dimension." [9] Bruce Elder from the Sydney Morning Herald reviewed the album favourably and said "This is music for the ages". "He is, for every urban Aborigine grappling with their identity, a reminder of the richness of the traditional, pre-European culture that was once their heritage and which has been slowly leached away during the past 200 years. If you listen very carefully to Gurrumul, you can lose yourself in the timelessness and ancient beauty that effortlessly swirls and drifts around every note he plays and sings". [10]
Robin Denselow from The Guardian gave the album 3 out of 5, saying, "Gurrumul Yunupingu is a world music phenomenon" and said "His lyrics may deal with his homeland, nature and contemplation, but his gently epic melodies have echoes of western folk, gospel, soul and reggae". he did criticise the album however, saying " ...too many follow the same style, despite the addition of a female soul chorus and reggae guitar. It's time he began to show what else he can do". [11]
The album was a commercial success in Australia, peaking at #3 and was certified platinum for shipments over 70,000. [12]
| Chart (2011) | Peak position |
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| ARIA Albums Chart | 3[13] |
| Swiss Album Chart | 34 |
| Belgium Album Chart | 85 |