Muyiwa and RiversongzBy Bob Marovich for The Black Gospel Blog.
Someone asked me recently what I thought gospel music would sound like in five years. Without missing a beat, I said it would incorporate more components of world music. The person looked at me as if I had seven eyes and a tail.
Enter Muyiwa Olarewaju and Riversongz.
They are a UK-based praise and worship ensemble who on Declaring His Name All Around the World (released stateside earlier this month) take the listener on a global musical journey. The group incorporates polyrhythmic African beats and Indian music on “The Name of the Lord,” Afro-Caribbean and reggae on “Jehovah Jireh” and sing some verses in Chinese on the gentle “Holy, Holy, Holy.”
Overall, however, the group maintains a rootedness to the infectious rhythms, simple melodies and tight four-part harmony singing evocative of Africa. The melodies in particular are comprised of major chord simplicities heard in South African gospel. On the hymnic “My Heritage,” Muyiwa’s tribute to his parents, Riversongz harmonizes with the tightness heard in traditional South African church singing.
Muyiwa serves as a James Fortune or John P. Kee style MC, but with an African accent as he exhorts the listener and Riversongz – a professionally polished and cheerful choir – in word and song. “Only You Be God,” for example, sounds every bit as if it was produced in South Africa, and is one of the album’s outstanding selections.
Another highlight on Declaring His Name All Around the World is the haunting praise and worship ballad “I Praise Your Name,” led by a strong female lead whose vocal style contains more than a measure of hard-singing traditional gospel technique.
American artists guest starring on the album are Mary Alessi, who delivers “I Will Call on Him” like Faith Hill at church; and P&W favorite Darwin Hobbs on “I Love You Lord.”
Muyiwa is no stranger to European listeners, having received the BBC’s Young Musician Award and presenting the “Sounds Of Africa” program on Lufthansa Airlines. He also hosts the award-winning programs “Gospel Tonight” and “Worship Tonight” on UK’s Premier Radio.
Declaring His Name All Around the World will be a treat for enthusiasts of African gospel and an eye-opener for those hitherto unfamiliar with gospel from across the big pond. The album suggests that my comment about gospel incorporating world music styles may not be so crazy after all.
Four of Five Stars
Picks: “Only You Be God,” “I Praise Your Name.”
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Written by : Bob Marovich
Bob Marovich is a gospel music historian, author, and radio host. Founder of Journal of Gospel Music blog (formally The Black Gospel Blog) and producer of the Gospel Memories Radio Show.
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Thank you for sharing information about Muyiwa and Riversongz. As a result of this post, I’ve watched a couple of YouTube videos of that group and intend to watch more.
Besides the upbeat song, I’m particularly struck by the dancing on stage in the video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZc5pKKToLE “God Of Miracles”.
I’ve seen other YouTube videos of Africans doing what African Americans & other Americans would probably consider to be secular dance moves to Christian songs. I think this is a real cultural difference between African Americans and Africans on that continent and in the UK, France, and other European nations.
I wonder if Black Canadians, Afro-Caribbeans, Brazilians and other people of African descent in South America also perform hip shaking dances to Christian music.