OPEN CITY

A Nigerian-German psychiatrist wanders the streets of Manhattan and Brussels, ruminating on recent events in his life as well as his childhood in Nigeria; pondering larger questions of culture, history, and religion; and meeting an assortment of characters along the way. What results is an intelligent meditation on a variety of topics. The work is rich with descriptive detail but devoid of deep emotional impact. Whether the lack of emotional impact is intentional or not, it doesn’t help that Kevin Mambo's narration is too slow and ponderous, lulling the listener through the weighty subject matter. A bit more animation in his performance would have been more engaging. S.E.G. © AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine [Published: JULY 2011]