Spine-tingling vocal performances and esteemed, expert musicianship.
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Founded by Musical Director Carol Pemberton MBE in 1987, Black Voices are proud champions of the Black oral tradition. Their mission is to honour, celebrate, and cultivate this art form. Not only have they performed all over the world, this all-female, all-Black acapella collective have opened for the likes of Ray Charles and Nina Simone.
Last night, Black Voices took to the stage at the Royal Albert Hall’s Elgar Room – a plush venue bathed in purple light and adorned with photographs of music greats. Fortunately, the Beast from the East (for our US readers – the current bout of terrible weather impacting the UK) did not sabotage their commute down to London from Birmingham. I was slightly unnerved when an usher at the venue pre-emptively handed out ear plugs fearing the sound mix would be too loud for some. Yet, thankfully, this was not necessary.
The Black Voices themselves – Carol Pemberton, Evon Johnson-Elliot, Sandra Francis, Shereece Storrod, and Cecelia Wickham-Anderson – are damn fine vocalists. Under Pemberton’s direction, they are tight, syncopated, and intuitively musical. Tackling a range of material from classical, Baroque era compositions, reggae, and more conventional soul and gospel, the Black Voices sing with enviable finesse.
It is stunning the power of five layered voices in unison without accompaniment. Pemberton and Wickham-Anderson sing with a remarkably controlled bass. Storrod took lead vocals on an ethereal take on Simon and Garfunkel’s ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’, while Johnson-Elliott threw gritty adlibs in ‘Stay With Him’. Across the set, Francis also demonstrated her crystalline soprano. A particular highlight of the first act was the Voices’ transformation of the Scottish folk song ‘The Water Is Wide’ into a gospel spiritual.
For the second act, Black Voices were joined by an ensemble, including a live band, to deliver an exhilarating tribute to Nina Simone. Together they communicated the historical trauma, anguish, and intensity of Simone’s material – which included a rolling take on the tumultuous ‘Sinnerman’ and a sublime rendering of the heartbreaking ballad ‘Plain Gold Ring’. The latter was perhaps the standout performance of the entire evening with a haunting and impeccably controlled vocal by ensemble member Beverley Robinson.
Following a fervent and rejoicing ‘He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands’ and ‘To Be Young, Gifted and Black’, the evening closed with a rendition of ‘Strange Fruit’. First recorded by Billie Holiday in 1939 and by Simone in 1965, ‘Strange Fruit’ provides one of the most harrowing depictions of American racism put to song. After delivering the first verse, the song took on a new life with an original arrangement and lyrics addressing contemporary issues. The mastermind behind this was ensemble member – and soul/hip-hop singer and producer in his own right – Kevin Mark Trail. It is a rendition which demands its own recording.
(Image taken from Black Voices Facebook page)
