Album Review: Gina Williams & Guy Ghouse - Kalyakoorl

One of Australia's best singers, Kalyakoorl is obviously an intensely personal exercise for her. Sung almost completely in Noongar, Williams has thankfully included English translations for we non-Noongar speakers, her lyrics proving just how tied to a sense of place and traditional Indigenous values this album is. Guy Ghouse's sometimes subtle, effective guitar work builds a huge amount of substance behind it all. Lyrically emotive and culturally integrated, Kalyakoorl is also very well constructed, swinging between thematic elements and melodies with ease. And it's not inaccessible, either: Williams' voice is incredibly welcoming, language barriers be damned.