CD & DVD Reviews

Arkansas Gazette
February 2010
PHILIP MARTIN

Beautiful voices, pristine musical arrangements and tremendous instrumentation permeate the 19 tunes on Grace, the latest by the Soweto Gospel Choir. The mix of Christian, traditional and pop tunes is sung in English and several African languages.

Their version of Bridge Over Troubled Water is grand and spiritually uplifting in every way; a superb boost to any day. Their uniquely entertaining singing brings added depth and chills on songs such as Muphulusi, and Ndikhokhele, allowing these wonderful singers to shine brightly. These singers bring real grace, human and divine to this elegant, soulful album.

Billboard January 29, 2010

The Soweto Gospel Choir’s latest album, "Grace," is easily as exuberant and inspired as any of its past efforts. The aptly titled 19-song set-the South African group's fourth release on Shanachie Records-is a creative blending of traditional South African gospel numbers with elegantly conceived arrangements of contemporary tunes, such as "Voices on the Wind." The choir's performance is a sustained display of individual and ensemble virtuosity, underwritten by its deep spiritual sensibility. The track "Eli" is an infectious cut reminiscent of the township jive that is one of the foundational styles of South African pop music. Lucas Bok's gospel-inflected arrangement of "Bridge Over Troubled Water" is another highlight. Traditional South African gospel piece "Muphulusi" features the choir accompanied only by hand drums and a strong solo vocal from Bongani Khumalo, and Sipokazi Nxumalo's gentle delivery of "Prayer for South Africa" is also a noteworthy vocal performance.

OPRAH Magazine

The Soweto Gospel Choir makes our world seem beautifully small. The 26-member group performs in six languages, blending traditional hymns, Western pop and their native South African harmonies into a singularly joyful sound. Their new album, Blessed (Shanachie), while undeniably gospel, transcends language, culture and religion, with a capella cadences that will be familiar to anyone who has heard Ladysmith Black Mambazo (best know to U.S. audiences for their appearance on Paul Simon's Graceland). The choir, named for the township outside of Johannesburg, begins a three-month tour of the States this month with a program that includes a version of "Mbube" (a.k.a. "The Lion Sleeps Tonight") and "Biko", Peter Gabriel's song about the slain antiapartheid activist, as well as Zulu songs. Concertgoers will also be treated to acrobatic dancing and brilliantly colored traditional costumes. And Joy, in abundance. For tour dates, visit sowetogospelchoir.com.

GLOBAL RHYTHM Magazine
February 2006
STORY: Marty Lipp

SOWETO GOSPEL CHOIR Blessed Shanachie 66038 Just as some of the founding elements of Latin music came to the Americas from Africa and later traveled back and were “re-Africanized,” gospel music made the round trip and settled down to stay in South Africa for a while. Gospel was born as a result of the slave trade. African slaves were prohibited from using African instruments or songs, but they instead created a new style that used English language and subjects with call-and-response singing accompanied by syncopated accompaniment. Work songs or “field hollers” and “spirituals” were born amid the miserable lives of slaves, eventually becoming the post-Civil War form called gospel.

While not as internationally renowned as American gospel, South African gospel began to form with European missionaries and survived amid the various local genres of popular music. Since blacks in South Africa were subjugated by the white minority during the apartheid years, gospel never had the resources to flourish in the marketplace, living more in the churches than on record. In recent years, though, gospel performers such as Rebecca Malope have become recording stars and have even developed a bit of an international reputation, though not approaching that of other South African popular musicians or American gospel. In 2003, choirmaster David Mulovhedzi and producer Beverly Bryer put together a supergroup of gospel singers from the various churches in and around the black township of Soweto. The group caught fire almost immediately and has toured the world and now released its second album. Blessed, the new album, is similar in approach to the first. The formula is to sing both American and South African gospel songs, mixing in a variety of secular songs that make their appeal that more catholic, so to speak.

The secular tunes often are an expression of national pride for South Africa’s 10-year-old majority rule. These include Peter Gabriel’s “Biko,” “Mbube” (otherwise known as “Wimoweh” or “The Lion Sleeps Tonight”), the traditional “Khumbaya,” a Ladysmith Black Mambazo tune and the South African national anthem. Among its Western repertoire are the Edwin Hawkins Singers’ modern classic “Oh Happy Day” and the traditional “I Bid You Goodnight” (popularized by Bahamian Joseph Spence and later covered by the likes of the Grateful Dead and the Incredible String Band). While their repertoire is more mainstream than adventurous, their “new” twist on gospel and their vocal firepower eclipse any quibbles about what might have been. This group of 20-plus singers has more than a handful of soloists who are world-class and could wow in any setting. These soloists are then backed by a lush, full chorus, creating a call-and-response that is jaw-droppingly gorgeous.

The singers, who break into joyous ululation, are urged on by percussion and an electric band. The true treat, however, is to see the group live, which adds another dimension. The large group wears colorful costumes and dance to express their joy in yet another way. In concert, the choir also turns up the heat a bit, making the album sound a bit reserved in comparison. While a few more full-throttle rousers would be fun, the band’s huge, almost-orchestral vocal sound gets the midtempo swing of tunes such as “Tshepa Thapelo” going at an irresistibly powerful pulse. On one of two of the slower tunes, the band’s electric keyboard pushes the sound toward the saccharine, but overall the choir’s precise, powerful performances prove to be a winning formula.

Though the Soweto Gospel Choir has a mission to spread the word, only the most cynical, or tone deaf, could resist the choir’s open-hearted, joyful sound. Despite the religious nature of the group and so many of its songs, the choir is not comprised of arm-twisting proselytizers. They are showing thanks and reverence by celebrating, using their prodigious talents. Like the American “Dream Team” of the Olympics, the Soweto Gospel Choir highlights one country’s statistic-defying talent pool. Unlike the Dream Team’s divas, these humble performers charm as they amaze. Through Paul Simon’s Graceland and even Disney’s The Lion King, South Africa’s vocal tradition has become familiar throughout the world. The Soweto Gospel Choir’s gospel is almost instantly recognizable, a welcome hybrid for fans of both gospel and South African pop.

BILLBOARD
January 2006
Gordon Ely

This 26-member ensemble draws its name from its native township that lies onthe outskirts of Johannesburg, and on its American debut offers what is easily one of the most original and intriguing gospel albums imaginable. The majority of the 18 tracks are sung in either native Sotho or Zulu; little more than percussion accompanies the choir's rich, sophisticated vocal interplay on a tapestry of traditional South African and western musical styles. Several cuts more familiar to western ears, and sung in English, include sturdy, stirring renderings of "Oh Happy Day" and Peter Gabriel's "Biko." The occasional addition of a full band works nicely ("Joko Yahao") but serves as much to show how these absolutely thrilling singers need nothing but their voices to make dazzling music.

USA TODAY
January 31, 2006

With a repertoire encompassing American spirituals, African folk tunes and rock songs about apartheid's political prisoners, this multilingual South African choir aspires to the broadest possible audience. Often accompanied by nothing more than a drum, these luxuriantly full-voiced singers (think Ladysmith Black Mambazo, expanded) combine a joyful, spiritual vision with a global perspective, making even long-Americanized songs Mbube (the South African origin for The Lion Sleeps Tonight) and Khumbaya sound fresh and vibrant. -Mansfield

ROLLING OUT
ATLANTA

When it comes to releases by most gospel choirs, you almost know what to expect. The same can't be said of the truly inspirational and original Soweto Gospel Choir. With their latest release, Blessed, Soweto continues to establish themselves as the pre-eminent world gospel choir. The lush harmonies throughout the album are reminiscent of heavenly angels gathered around the throne of God exalting Him and singing His praises. Blessed may be the best vocal production album of the year. Dewayne Rogers

The New York Times
April 15, 2005

When missionaries got to South Africa, they found local harmony-singing traditions that meshed magnificently with gospel hymns, creating a hybrid that has grown more South African over the generations. The Soweto Gospel Choir, 26 singers picked from churches around the Soweto township near Johannesburg, is both meticulously arranged and gutsy, from its hearty bass harmonies to soloists whose sharp-edged voices leap out of the choir. Its album "Voices From Heaven" (Shanachie) is geared for outsiders, with a few familiar English-language songs and an unnecessary pop finale. But most of the album uses just voices, or voices and percussion, in songs that are as dynamic as they are devout.

Orlando Sentinel January 21, 2005
By Jim Abbott | Sentinel Pop Music Critic

... there's no shortage of uninhibited energy on the Soweto Gospel Choir's Voices from Heaven. The opening "Jikela Emaweni" begins with an exuberant solo voice that is soon joined by maracas, tribal drums, bird whistles and shouted exhortations. The words are in another language, but the message rings clearly. The group displays an impressively diverse sound, covering everything from traditional a cappella spirituals to infectiously rhythmic "township jive" numbers and a gospelly adaptation of Jimmy Cliff's "Many Rivers to Cross." The Choir also tackles "Amazing Grace," with more raw gospel power than Mambazo, as one of several English-language songs. The best of these is "Paradise Road," a contemporary-sounding gospel ode that rises above a lovely wall of voices. It's a sound that's inspiring in any language.

The Boston Globe
February 4, 2005

These are voices deeply felt as well as heard. Listening to this remarkable 32-member choral ensemble, there's an aching yet exultant purity apparent in these 16 tracks, a palpable element missing in most contemporary gospel. Then again, there's no ill-conceived effort here to make songs that might appeal to the average Usher or Destiny's Child fan. It doesn't need to -- this is soulful, profoundly moving music. A quartet of male and female soloists perform a radiant, nearly eight-minute a cappella version of "Amazing Grace," breathing new spirit into this warhorse. Other well-rendered songs, such as a medley of Jimmy Cliff's "Many Rivers to Cross," and traditional songs "Going Down Jordan" and "Amen," will be most familiar to Western listeners. Yet the traditional African songs are no less radiant. Spurred by drumbeats and a powerful lead vocal by Fikele Sidumo, the opening track, "Jikela Emaweni," sets a jubilant pace, gliding into the resplendent "Vuma." Just as magnificent is "Paradise Road," sung in English, with its melancholy lyrics about finding better days, free of trial and pain. Most of the musical arrangements here are spare, accented with high-pitched whoops and hand-claps. From a country of great tribulation, these voices reveal a humanity both generous and graceful. RENEE GRAHAM