MUSIC NEWS - A new episode of The Voice Project that featuring Peter Gabriel covering Tom Waits' "In The Neighborhood" was sent out today across five non-profit web sites. Invisible Children, Oxfam America, Resolve Uganda, WITNESS, and HOPE Campaign teamed up to premiere this latest installment. The Voice Project is a music based initiative raising awareness and support for the war torn region of Central East Africa. (watch the video, below).
Northern Uganda, Southern Sudan, Eastern Congo and Central African Republic have been severely affected by the ongoing violence of Joseph Kony's rebel army the LRA in Africa's longest running conflict. Women's groups in Northern Uganda have been using songs to send messages of forgiveness to those abducted and forced to fight, many of whom escape but hide in the bush afraid to return home for fear of reprisals. The songs are played on the radio and passed by word to let the soldiers know they are forgiven and can come home.
Like the women in Uganda, artists from around the world participating in The Voice Project use music to pass the message. Each artist has been covering another's song creating a chain of melodies, awareness and support. In this particular chain London based artist Gary Go passed the torch to his friend Joseph Arthur by covering "Chicago," Joseph passed it to his friend and mentor Peter Gabriel with his version of "Shock the Monkey" and now Gabriel has passed it to Tom Waits with this cover of "In the Neighborhood." “I love the idea that a song can reach people that can't be touched in any other way," said Gabriel. "The Voice Project is a movement that grew out of a few songs with a simple message. Almost everyone on the planet has access to a mobile phone, which means we can start dealing with the world's problems linking person to person. That is what is powerful about The Voice Project's original dream.”
Peter Gabriel had just finished his world tour in support of his covers album "Scratch My Back" and his daughter Anna Gabriel is one of the founders of The Voice Project. “I am enormously proud of all my daughter's work on this and I was very happy have been asked to participate. I've wanted to sing Tom Waits' "In the Neighborhood" for a long time and this was a great opportunity.”
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