WAR — The World Is a Ghetto (review)

WAR — The World Is a Ghetto album cover Album · 1972 · Latin Rock/Soul Buy this album from MMA partners
4/5 ·
Sean Trane
After the ultra-successful ADM album, War had to confirm that they were no fluke and their next effort certainly did that. Actually with that cartoon artwork and a committing title like The World is A Ghetto, War assured themselves a multi-racial following.

The album’s opening track is one of the group’s most enduring tracks showing that the LA band was looking beyond the bay all the way to Frisco: Cisco Kid is a Latino-rhythmed track that had me wonder if it was one of Nuyorican-group of Mandrill or Cymande’s track. The following Where Was You At is more of a funky-fied Gospel music. The lengthy 13-mins+ City Country City was originally foreseen as a movie soundtrack of Nigger Charlie (but it didn’t happen), which might explained some lengths here and there. Musically in the better moments, we are close to High-Heeled-Traffic or Auger’s Oblivion Express. Flute, organs, sax and congas a gogo, but it could’ve been shortened a bit.

The flipside opens on the superb slow-tempoed moody epic Four Cornered Room, with solid and stupendous vocal harmonies sending chills down the spine and it is the entrance to the album’s centre. The title track is a no-less superb track, that probably fits best as War’s anthem track. Thoughtful lyrics, delicate lavish vocal harmonies (Burdon is now light years away), exquisite wind instruments interventions, discrete guitars, superb Latin percussions (bongos, congas) and always on-the-dot keyboards (mostly organ) and an edited version became the second hit of the album. The closing Beetles In The Bog is not dealing with the Fab Four lost in the Bayou, but is the album’s most up-tempoed funk track set to the usual War vocal harmonies and is an amazing end to the album.

Easily as good as the outstanding AD, if not better, Ghetto is one or my all-time fave ethnic album and the music is was then groundbreaking (as was Traffic, Mandrill, Cymande and a few more) and most progheads would gain to re-discover how such groups were progressing music along their own terms.

Share this review
more

Review Comments

Post a public comment below | Send private message to the reviewer
Please login to post a shout
No shouts posted yet. Be the first member to do so above!

Review Index

Member Zone

Username:
Password:
Stay signed in

Jazz Subgenres

Artists Alpha-index

JMA TOP 5 Jazz ALBUMS

Rating by members, ranked by custom algorithm
Albums with 30 ratings and more
A Love Supreme Post Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners
Kind of Blue Cool Jazz
MILES DAVIS
Buy this album from our partners
The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady Progressive Big Band
CHARLES MINGUS
Buy this album from our partners
Blue Train Hard Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners
My Favorite Things Hard Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners

New Jazz Artists

New Jazz Releases

Green Puma / Tropical Dandy Jazz Related Rock
THE LINK QUARTET
Buy this album from MMA partners
Vinny Golia Quintet : Can You Outrun Them? 21st Century Modern
VINNY GOLIA
Buy this album from MMA partners
Bow Code Fusion
SAMPO HIUKKANEN
Buy this album from MMA partners
Anthem For No Man’s Land Jazz Related Improv/Composition
ANDREAS SCHAERER
Buy this album from MMA partners
Cabaret Eclectic Fusion
MARIUS NESET
Buy this album from MMA partners
More new releases

New Jazz Online Videos

Paper Plane Pilot
MIKE DE SOUZA
js· 86 minutes ago
Green Puma
THE LINK QUARTET
js· 90 minutes ago
Heavy Cream
SAMPO HIUKKANEN
js· 3 hours ago
Sunday afternoon
FURIO DI CASTRI
snobb· 16 hours ago
Harmônicos
FABIANO DO NASCIMENTO
js· 1 day ago
More videos

New JMA Jazz Forum Topics

More in the forums

New Site interactions

More...

Latest Jazz News

members-submitted

More in the forums

Social Media

Follow us
Follow us on Twitter Become a Facebook fan RSS Feed