Though an astonishing commercial success, Paul Simon’s Graceland (1986) was mired in controversy. In travelling to South Africa to record the album with local musicians, Simon had broken the cultural embargo against the country and was accused by some of undermining the anti-apartheid effort. With the passage of time, Graceland has been scrutinised via the discourse of cultural appropriation. But the criticism and challenges have often sat in parallel to an appreciation of its sonic and aesthetic brilliance.
What the London African Gospel Choir (LAGC) proved in their concert at the Barbican is the richness and value of new readings of supposedly untouchable material.
Founded in 2002 by the Paris-born Guadeloupean Crystal Kassi, the LAGC has a membership spanning the African diaspora (with large Ugandan representation in particular). Their mission is to popularise the sounds of African-influenced gospel, which was the focus of their concert’s first set. The magnificent voice of baritone singer Morgan Hammondge (pictured) stood out.
The second set turned to Graceland. The LAGC were not ‘covering’ Graceland, we were told by the band’s promoter Al Hardwicke-Kassi, but ‘reinterpreting’ it. Of course, a moment of personal re-adjustment was required in the absence of Simon’s speak-singing deadpan. But the choir and the nine-strong band had this writer rapt in their galvanic rhythms, layered harmonies, and energetic choreography. Renditions of ‘All Around the World or the Myth of Fingerprints’ and ‘The Boy in the Bubble’ were propelled by livelier, more percussive arrangements.
Retiring their male choir members, the women of the LAGC took centre stage to perform ‘Under African Skies’, originally a duet between Paul Simon and Linda Ronstadt. Soprano Prudence Jezile, diminutive in stature but overflowing with passion, injected this mellow ballad with fiery abandon.
‘Homeless’, which Simon recorded with the now internationally renowned Ladysmith Black Mambazo, was a haunting moment of a cappella magic. ‘You Can Call Me Al’, the biggest pop hit from Graceland, served as a joyous encore number.
All photography: Oyinakansola Popoola
