“People of Light” Ritasoul A4 Music Records (release date: June 8, 2021) http://www.praisecamp.com.ng By Robert M. Marovich From time to time, JGM likes to find interesting songs from Africa, where gospel music is vibrant, and present them here. “People of Light” is one. This beautifully-produced and stirring anthem calls on believers to join forces as an army of good and let their light shine “like never before.” It is led by Ritasoul, a Nigerian singer whose commanding soprano is fortified by a team of tight musicians and background vocalists who literally sound like the army she calls forth. Relevant words ...

Jonathan Butler Free Mack Avenue Records (2015) www.jonathanbutler.com By Bob Marovich Growing up financially poor in Cape Town, South Africa, under the repressive rules of apartheid, Jonathan Butler would certainly be excused if his music expressed unforgiving hate. But what the award-winning musical polymath feels instead, according to his latest inspirational album, Free, is another four-letter word: love. To love is to be free, so whether voicing his love for God or God’s love for every person, as on the zesty “Never Find a Better Love,” where God invites his people to “just let me in,” Butler keeps agape front ...

Howard Ziwa Dawn – Volume 1 www.ziwamusic.com By Bob Marovich Howard Ziwa’s Dawn—I’m tempted to call it an EP because it has eight tracks and weighs in at under thirty minutes—has its high points and low points. Let’s start with the high points. The EP’s finest selections, “Alele” and “Let It Be,” are fueled by the brisk polyrhythms, vertical praise lyrics, and instrumental sensibilities of the gospel music from Ziwa’s native Africa (he was born in Kampala, Uganda). Those familiar with African gospel music know that it is often ignited by insistent drums and an ostinato riff on keyboard or ...

Funmilayo Ngozi Unconstrained Unconstrained Music (2015) www.funmilayongozi.com By Bob Marovich A cursory look at Nigerian singer Funmilayo Ngozi’s name might suggest that her music is steeped in the African gospel tradition. In actuality, Ngozi lives in Augusta, Georgia, and studied and is a music educator in the U.S.  She served as a background vocalist on Trey McLaughlin & Sounds of Zamar’s Limitless album and the Beulah Grove Baptist Church’s Live at the Grove CD. Ngozi’s debut solo album, Unconstrained, is true to its title in more ways than one.  Although the title refers to unfettered worship and praise, the songs are ...