> PHILADELPHIA ENQUIRER REVIEW
Soweto Gospel Choir delivers a dazzling show at Winspear in Dallas
12:00 AM CDT on Tuesday, March 23, 2010
By MANUEL MENDOZA / Special Contributor to The Dallas Morning News
Soweto Gospel Choir could easily extend its name to include "dance troupe" and "percussion group." Rhythms and movement routines were as crucial as vocals as the multitalented entertainers put on a dazzling show Sunday at Winspear Opera House to close the 2009-10 TITAS music series.
The 22 dancing singers, backed by a pair of singing-and-dancing drummers and a small band, relied heavily on a repertoire of South African spirituals, sprinkled with American gospel tunes and the occasional pop hit.
The vocals were earthy but sophisticated. Rather than the soul shouting of Western gospel, Soweto Gospel Choir uses a subtler approach, weaving nuanced harmonies into the melodies. Vocal virtuosity was less the goal than creating an evocative sound.
Swaying side to side in colorful, flowing gowns, the Grammy Award-winning choir opened with a suite of traditional songs, highlighted by separate a cappella showcases for the men and women. During "Mangisondele Nkosi Yam," the guys stamped out the beat with their feet.
When the group came back together, the tempo picked up and some of the men performed a bravura dance step that they repeatedly returned to during the two-hour set. It centered on nearly kicking themselves in the face.
Toward intermission, they began mixing in more familiar songs. "Avulekile Amasango" segued into Bob Marley's "One Love," and the choir sang a lilting version of Simon and Garfunkel's "Bridge Over Troubled Water" and the spiritual "This Little Light of Mine."
After the break, the comic theatrics amplified. In a routine called "In the Canteen," three of the men sat at a table and used forks to turn a meal into a rhythm exercise. But the second half also featured gorgeous balladry, including Andrae Crouch's "Oh It Is Jesus" and Gustav Holst's "World in Union."
Soweto Gospel Choir performs at Annenberg Center
By A.D. Amorosi
For The Inquirer
They've sung with rock giants, won Grammys for their ebullient recordings, and been Oscar nominated for best song (Wall-E).
That acclaim could give even the most spiritually minded artists big heads.
Yet at Saturday's sold-out show of the Soweto Gospel Choir of South Africa at the Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, the only thing more dynamic than its rich choral interplay was the outfit's humility. It was a reserved and cool passion that guided the 27-member choir-and-instrumentalist through a mix of indigenous vocal traditions, their nation's divinity songs, and their take on Western devotional classics.
Added to an ability to uplift an audience was their sense of invention. A group that can make an adventure of shopworn songs like Bob Marley's "One Love" - paired with the African traditional "Avulekile Amasango" in a medley with a Creole feel - wins every time.
As vocalists and dancers, the costumed ensemble exuded energy throughout the program.
Their percussive routine "In the Canteen" - members clinked glasses, cups and plates with a team of male vocalists - was a delight.
No sooner had a SGC member high-kicked, spun, and belly-flopped, than they would hit the high notes of "Masigiye'bo" with clarion might.
While the women of SGC took on the a cappella of "Ngahlulele" with a sonorous sweetness reminiscent of Phil Spector's girl groups, the men hit bass notes on "Mangisondele Nkosi Yam" - accompanied only by their foot-stomping rhythm - with the rumble of Paul Robeson inspiration. Though the vocalists sounded like an orchestra without accompaniment, a tight band pushed SGC into a flavorful African high-life sound on "Mbube."
For all its mighty execution of African spirituals, it was the effervescent fashion in which SGC tackled American gospel songs ("Oh It Is Jesus" and "Oh Happy Day") and spiritually-minded pop songs such as "Bridge Over Troubled Water" that was truly inspirational. Cleverly, SGC did the Paul Simon-penned "Bridge" in the manner of Aretha Franklin's 1971 cover version, its background vocals lifting the phrase "still waters run deep" to a heavenly high. To say Soweto Gospel Choir was as smart as it was moving doesn't say enough.
(CLICK HERE TO SEE ORIGINAL REVIEW)