Corneille CD Review & Giveaway

When I was asked to review a brand new CD, The Birth of Cornelius from an artist named Corneille, I had no idea what to expect. I love all kinds of music, but I rarely chose to listen to R&B and Motown. So it surprised me that I actually liked the music. I found myself choosing to listen to the CD again and again. And I found my kids moving along to the music. Corneille has an easy to listen to, soothing style. Click over to Amazon to listen to tracks from The Birth of Cornelius.

Corneille might be a new name in the music industry here in the US, but he has already had a remarkable career in Europe, with his albums reaching diamond-selling status in France. He has also led a very interesting life, and his thoughtful music and lyrics reflect that.

Corneille Nyungura was born in Fribourg, Germany, where his parents were students. At the age of six, his family returned to Rwanda, their country of origin. As a boy, Corneille began to develop an interest in music, and he credits his father for nurturing his interest. “I was singing something in my room,” he says, “and my dad heard me, and said, ‘That sounds good, it kind of sounds like Tracy Chapman.’ And I remember thinking, ‘Oh, It’s OK for me to make music.’ At age 16, he made his first recording, and was selected as a finalist in a music contest sponsored by the state-run television station.

But in 1994, Rwanda’s President Habyarimana was assassinated, and the largest, most horrific genocide in modern history claimed over 800,000 victims. Corneille’s parents and other family members were killed in the massacre. He alone managed to escape—first to Kinshasa, and then to Germany, where he was taken in by some family friends.

You can learn more about Corneille on his website, www.corneillemusic.com

Corneille says, “Music has been the place where I could go to hide and forget about the world. I couldn’t make sense of a majority of the things that happened to me, so I used music as a shield. But over time, music has become a vehicle to channel out everything that I’ve been keeping from myself for all these years. And the new album is definitely the most honest, real assessment of everything that’s happened in my life, because I’m not trying to hide as much.”

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Would you like to own a copy of The Birth of Cornelius? I've got an AUTOGRAPHED copy to give away to one of my readers! All you have to do is leave a comment here telling me what music genre is your favorite. Easy peasy!

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Be sure to leave a separate comment for each entry, and make sure you leave a way for me to get ahold of you. This giveaway will run until Friday, March 27 at 10:00 pm Eastern time. I will pick a number with Random.org's widget and announce the winner the next day. The winner will have 48 hours to contact me or I will pick a new number. Good luck!