Soweto Gospel Choir
Blessed
Shanachie, 2005
 "Shewane"
from the Afropop CD Store
In many African countries, gospel is the biggest selling music. If you haven’t heard much of it, that’s because few African gospel acts rise to the level of the Soweto Gospel Choir. The group’s second international release spans African song, American classics (“I Bid You Goodnight,” “O Happy Day,” “Khumbaya”) and even a combined cover of Johnny Clegg and Peter Gabriel, “Asimbonanga/Biko.”
South Africans have long been astute at adapting Western, especially American music, and these covers are spirited, strong, and distinctive. But the rafters really get loosened on more distinctly African numbers like, “Masigiye’bo,” with its lush layers of vocal harmony and exhilarating hand clapping. On “Njato,” the group pulls out electric guitars and pumps out township mbaqanga. There are familiar African songs here as well, like the timeless “Mbube” and the South African National Anthem. This group has the vocal power to do justice to American gospel, the authenticity to venture into various realms of ’s rich music, and the breadth to combine all of that with their own compositions without a trace of unevenness. The Soweto Gospel Choir is the gold standard for African gospel music today.
Contributed by: Banning Eyre
Originally published in: Boston Phoenix
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