Rhymer from Ryde (The) - Home Brew CD2

“Full Strength” Also recorded “Live” in the Blue Mountains & produced by Pat Drummond’s Shoestring Records, “Full Strength” is an Australian Historical narrative in verse. 8 original poems (plus one by Arthur Green) that chart the country’s development from convict transportation to the present day. These poems showcase “The Rhymer’s” love of research and writing skills that combine together to produce some wonderfully evocative and stirring verse.

 

CD Review of “Full Strength”

CD review by John Williams

Graeme Johnson is a well known poet who is based in Sydney.

He has won many awards for his poetry over the past few years including the 2004 Banjo Paterson Writing Award, The John Dunmore Lang Poetry Prize, the 2007 Henry Lawson Written Poetry Award, The 2011 Tamworth Original Poetry Award and has achieved many top ten fi nishes in the Australian Bush Poetry Championships.

In all he has received over seventy awards for his poetry and yarnspinning over the years.

Graeme has also been a judge in poetry competitions and has organized many poetry events. I guess that covers his credentials as a poet.

If you have seen Graeme performing you will know exactly what to expect from this CD. If you haven’t you are in for a treat.

Graeme is not afraid to use his skills to cover any topic, even controversial ones such as ‘Read All About It’, which covers the Schapelle Corby case. Whatever your personal views he sure makes you think.

His poem, ‘Juggernaut’ covers the Boxing Day Tsunami from a unique and challenging perspective.

Like all bush poets Graeme listens, learns and promotes other poets’ work. On this CD he does a terrifi c version of Arthur Green’s ‘Like Thunder on the Plain’ about Breaker Morant.

This CD offers an historical perspective of events from our history ranging from ‘Poles and Wires’ about the Light Horse Memorial to the convict era poems such as ‘The Voyage’ and ‘Rust and Rivets’.

It also offers Graeme’s views on contemporary events such as technology and having it all in ‘A Good Way to Begin’ and the patriotic ‘That’s Australia.

Bush poetry has moved into the twenty first century and poets like Graeme Johnson have been in the forefront of this growth.

I enjoyed this CD and if you are a fan of good Australian verse then you will gain enjoyment from this CD. I can recommend it.