THE BAPTIST TIMES Thursday, February 14, 2008

arts • 19

MUSIC

Singing with grace

6

8

Paul Hobson is moved by the music and the spirit of the Soweto Gospel Choir

6

7

10

1

i T IS said that when the Soweto Gospel Choir sings, it is merely as ambassadors of the people of the suburbs from which they come. And it is also said that Soweto – the acronym for South Western Townships, a sprawl of black suburbs south-west of Johannesburg – mirrors the black African way of life. Central to this existence is the creed that Africans sing. ‘Happy or sad, they sing,’ said Sowetan writer Don Makatile in the programme notes to the choir’s current African Spirit tour. ‘They sing when they work, they sing when they play. ‘They sing too when death strikes.’ Grasping this concept is the key to understanding a live performance from this increasingly popular choir whose Grammy award for African Spirit last weekend was their second in two years. Faced with an often dizzying array of colour, movement and sound, and coming from a culture where sober black tie is the chosen choir attire, there is an initial danger of sensory overload. More than 20 performers

2

11

12

13 14

17

21

3

4

8

16

15

22

20

fill the stage. They move as one. The drummer dances, the conductor sings, snaking between bodies like an eel as he ushers his directions. The clothes are, as so often throughout this continent, anything but sober. There is vibrancy in each face, fluidity in each movement. But even with so much going on (this latest tour sees the advent of the choir’s own four piece band) it’s the voice, both the collective and individual, which counts. Everything else is the platform. There are no stars in this choir. Or rather, they are all stars. Vocal leads are swapped and shared with every number, revealing a range of styles which descriptions such as tenor or alto can only begin to convey. ‘The choir has a cornucopia of remarkable voices,’ a correspondent for the New York Times once said, ‘sharp, sweet, kindly, raspy and incantatory leads above a magnificently velvety blend.’ Early in the show’s second half, the most unpromising of instruments (knife, fork, spoon) were suddenly transformed into a rhythmic triumph as the choir’s male contingent shared a slice of life in the tour canteen. When voices have this power to make supper so thrilling, it is impossible not to feel your soul stirred. The set is filled predominately with traditional South African songs, plus some familiar to Western listeners. They deal with many different aspects of the human spirit. The spirit of love for one another is featured in Bob Dylan’s I’ll Remember You, while the spirit of living in harmony together

5

9

18 19

23

CROSSWORD 1,112

1

9

2

11

13 11

14

19

20

23

3

15

3 4 5

8 4

4 10

12

4

16

18 16

16 21

24

16

6

17

7

22

25

26

LAST WEEk’S SOLuTiON Across: 1, Weak-willed. 8, Arsenal. 9, Melon. 10, Even. 11, Seen. 12, HAL. 14, Census. 15, Jeshua. 18, Uri. 20, Abel. 21, Omen. 23, Sacks. 24, Handles. 25, Whirlwinds. Down: 1, Western. 2, Adna. 3, Walked. 4, Lamented. 5, Eglah. 6, Watercourse. 7, Uncleanness. 13, Judaiser. 16, Humbles. 17, Nephew. 19, Iscah. 22, In an.

Picture: R uphin Coudyzer

Enthralling - The group received a Grammy in 2008 for the album African Spirit

comes across in a powerful, yet understated rendition of World in Union. It is the spirit of faith which is most evident, though. Many of the songs are Gospel, Christian in origin, focusing on God, his forgiveness of our sins and the hope he provides. I sensed that for most of the choir, their performance is an act of worship, a celebration of the gifts with which they have been blessed. While performing Amazing Grace, at least one choir member had her palms turned upwards, while another couple appeared to wipe away tears at the song’s conclusion. The choir’s enthralling performance resulted, not surprisingly, in a standing ovation at Oxford’s New

Theatre. Not for the first time, the ambassadors had done their suburbs proud – not to mention their Creator.

The Soweto Gospel Choir’s ‘African Spirit’ tour is taking place throughout February and March. For more details visit www. sowetogospelchoir.com

NOTE: We apologise for using the wrong grid with our crossword last week. We have corrected the problem and reprinted the correct clues and grid.

ACROSS 1. What the altar in the tabernacle was to be made out of (Exodus 27:8) (6) 4. ‘You have been unfaithful; you have married foreign women, -- to Israel’s guilt’ (Ezra 10:10) (6) 9. Normal (Romans 1:27) (7) 10. First month in the Hebrew calendar (Esther 3:7) (5) 11. Unit by which manna was measured (Exodus 16:32) (4) 12. Seventeenth century Dutch painter whose first work was ‘Christ in the House of Martha and Mary’, Johannes -- (7) 14. ‘Don’t you know that friendship with the world is -- towards God?’ (James 4:4) (6) 16. One of the three Hindu deities (6) 19. What Elijah’s belt was made of (2 Kings 1:8) (7) 21. Priestly vestments (4) 23. 'Unless I see the nail -- in his hands I will not believe it' (John 20:25) (5) 24. A kind-hearted woman gains this (Proverbs 11:16) (7) 25. ‘Daniel replied, “ -- -- man, enchanter, magician or diviner can explain to the king the mystery he has asked about”’

(Daniel 2:27) (2,4) 26. Thurible (Leviticus 16:12) (6)

DOWN 1. It was a steep one down which a herd of pigs rushed to their death in the Sea of Galilee (Matthew 8:32) (4) 2. ‘Expect great things from God; -- great things for God’, William Carey’s famous dictum (7) 3. German painter and engraver responsible for, among other things, the famous ‘Praying Hands’, Albrecht -- (5) 5. Roman coins (Matthew 18:28) (7) 6. Publish (Daniel 6:26) (5) 7. What Paul told Timothy to command rich people to be (1 Timothy 6:18) (8) 8. ‘For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made -- ‘ ( 1 Corinthians 15:22) (5) 9 and 17 Down. The two books that come between Titus and James (8,7) 15. City noted for its worship of the goddess Artemis (Acts 19:35) (7) 18. West Country diocese (5) 20. Weapon used by Jonathan to convey a coded message to David (1 Samuel 20:36) (5) 21. Walkway between rows of pews in a church (5) 22. It guided the Magi (Matthew 2:9) (4) (All Bible references are taken from the NIV)

Speaking with honesty

8 Speak to me By Geoff Moore Rocketown, £13.50 www.geoffmoore.com Reviewer: Mark Craig

T EN tracks (four of which have been previously released), a Dolly Parton cover version and a running time of under 50 minutes isn’t, on the face of it, much to show for the four years since his last album. And I started out really not wanting to like this Geoff Moore album, with its retro image on the cover and deeply earnest liner notes. But it’s not bad, and the last track, Erase, is a work of genius. Some years ago, the radiofriendly sound of Moore and his band The Distance was all the rage in certain Christian circles. The Christian circles doing any raging weren’t listening, but he was popular, in an inoffensive kind of way. He’s come a long way since then, seemingly having decided to be less busy and refocus – often a tacit admission that you’re not selling the quantity you once were. And so it’s to his credit that Moore’s newest acoustictinged album is, on the whole, a welcome return. His increasingly gritty tone creates an intimate air for his very personal lyrics, although much of the album is suffused with a homeliness that’s pretty alien to UK ears (notably on When I Get To Where I’m Going), and some

of the folk and fiddle influences will be a bit Waltons-esque for many here. Moore’s work with Compassion International is the background to one of the best tracks, Every Single One, in which he movingly tells how he’s seen Jesus ‘in the eyes of these daughters and sons, every single one’. The lyrical highlight is at the very end of Captured with the touching and unusual line ‘My Father is very fond of me’. The standout track is right at the end, though. Erase begins with some samples and gently pulsing 80’s synth (Lori Anderson’s odd No1 hit O Superman did something very similar). Moore’s plea for God to ‘erase the distance between us’ is a fresh and interesting twist on the ‘draw me closer to You’ theme so overused in our songs of worship. The song hints at a formulaic driving chorus being just round the corner, but (praise be) it never comes. Instead, the pulsing soundscape just fades – it’s dramatic and poignant. It’s not going to sell many copies here, but with a bit of time to get to know it, Speak To Me has its rewards for those looking for a gentle, honest expression of one man’s worship.

Mark Craig works for a Christian mission agency

Rating – 7/10

Essential download – Erase