The term “youth choir” can conjure many different images, from the most basic elementary school group to professional-quality ensembles. This choir from Alexandra Township in South Africa (a suburb of Johannesburg originally built to house black workers), is made up of singers on the older side of the “youth” scale and thus their voices are relatively mature, very strong, and project everything they sing with natural, unselfconscious expressiveness. The program includes 20 selections for mixed choir, almost all of which are arrangements of traditional songs, performed in several of Africa’s 11 official languages, including Zulu, Xhosa, and Sotho. Highly rhythmic, with relatively compact tunes that are invariably irresistible to the ear and guaranteed to compel body movement, these selections present the proud, hopeful, and determined character of people who have endured hardship and persecution and have survived.
It’s joyful music, and these young singers seem to really feel and mean every word, evident in such expressions as “from the fountains of song, drink your fill; our voices will not be silenced; let our voices be heard”; or, in another song, “a father is a source of comfort in the family”; or, “let’s have an African renaissance, let’s be one and make one dance.” But there’s whimsy as well, as in a song “about a man who is in love with Lindiwe who drives him crazy.” The disc closes with a very moving version of Nkosi Sikelela, whose first verse is the official national anthem of South Africa. The female soloist’s soulful performance is a highlight of the disc. Unfortunately the sound is dull and stuffy, taking some of the life out of this vibrant music.
