Garth Hewitt, Martyn Joseph, Reem Kelani - Gaza, Palestine

Reviewed by Simon Eden

These six songs are powerful folk ballads telling the stories of the 'Broken Heart of Gaza' and the tragic loss of multiple lives. It contrasts this Hell on earth with an accusation as to why the world is strangely silent accompanied with a prayer for the Prince of Peace to bring healing. These are anti-war songs in the vein of 1960's Vietnam protests typical of Neil Young; an acoustic guitar and a mouth organ at home in a peace camp. This is Garth Hewitt's follow up to his song "They've Cancelled Christmas in Bethlehem (The Wall Must Fall)" which portrays Angels singing behind the wall where the Palestinians are contained. Welsh troubadour Martin Joseph contributes a heartbreaking track about the death of a family of five sisters killed in a moment by a rocket while Reem Kelani contributes an Arabic inspired track that can transport a listener to the melancholy of a Gazan funeral or a life in continual suffering that fuels the ongoing hate. As a charity record in aid of a Gazan hospital, this powerful EP deserves wide circulation.