Reviewed by Ian Phillips.
By Christine Anu with Philly, Mindy Kwanten and Radical Son, Universal Music Australia 2019.
This four track EP was released in NAIDOC Week and was written by Christine Anu and talented and prolific composer and producer Max Lambert for the Healing Foundation.
The Healing Foundation is a national Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisation dedicated to healing trauma caused by deliberate disruption of populations, cultures and languages over the past 230 years which includes specific actions like the forced removal of children from their families.
The EP consists of the original mix of Heal Together by producer Craig Porteils along with remixes by Dan Noeydhay, plus two additional remixes, Standing Tall and the Mindfulness Remix.
Heal Together features the talents of award-winning Indigenous artist Christine Anu along with renowned hip-hop artists Philly and Radical Son and the exceptional vocal talents of Mindy Kwanten.
I think this is the first time that I’ve reviewed an EP of this nature. All other EPs have contained a number of different songs.
I’ve selected the EP for a number of reasons.
Firstly, I am committed to the view that as a nation we must hold our hands out to our Indigenous brothers and sisters and walk together to achieve a new and truly shared future.
I believe that the Uluru Statement From The Heart provides an ideal opportunity and template for us to finally acknowledge our first nations people and I also believe that we must confront our past and reconcile for true healing to occur.
But I’ve also selected the EP because it is interesting to compare the four different versions of the same song.
Each version offers a different emphasis concerning healing.
The original mix has a gospel feel while the Dan Noeydhay, Standing Tall and Mindfulness mixes bring hip-hop to the fore.
You could see the purchasing of this EP is an act of faith that helps the cause of moving us forward as a mature and united nation and also of assisting an organisation that is dedicated to the healing process.
Both worthy and important causes.
