“ESPN is thrilled to bring U2 and Soweto Gospel Choir together to tell our FIFA World Cup stories,” said Seth Ader, ESPN senior director, sports marketing.

This is not the first time the choir has worked with the popular rock band – they first sang together at the inaugural 46664 concert in 2003.

Their ESPN collaboration, which also features a live concert footage from U2’s record-breaking concert in October 2009 – will premiere on ESPN on June 11.

Ader said the collaboration will appear on every program throughout ESPN’s presentation of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, including soccer highlights, match and studio coverage.

ESPN’s executive producer for the month-long World Cup,Jed Drake, also said “The inspiring creative project with U2 and Soweto Gospel Choir will provide a distinctive, original voice to our coverage of the first FIFA World Cup to take place on the African continent.”

The collaboration comes hot on the heels of the choir ’s highly publicised collaboration with American platinum-selling musos , Akon and Kerri Hilson.

“By integrating this content throughout both our production and marketing efforts, we will more fully engage fans and enrich their experience of this great event,” added Drake.

Soweto Gospel Choir’s fifth album, Grace, sticks to the group’s signature sound. The 19-track disk is a spiritual offering that is consciously fashioned to please many audiences. It’s very entertaining, and stands a chance to expand the choir’s musical reach into many cultures of the world.

Released on Shanachie Records, the album is dedicated to one of the choir’s longtime guitarists Joshua Mcineka, who passed away early last year. It’s also their last album under the leadership of co-founder and musical director David Mulovhedzi, who succumbed to cancer in December last year.

Despite the setbacks, the thirty-plus-member choral group recorded a joyful album filled with refreshing messages. They go outside the church to reach out to heathens with secular songs like “Eli”, and return to church with infectious sacred songs like “Prayer for South Africa” and “Ngahlulele” .

The album is mainly acapella and this gives the choir an opportunity to showcase its legendary vocal talent. One of the vocalists Bongani Khumalo, delivers an outstanding vocal performance on the track “Muphulusi”, which incorporates some amazing traditional elements. Sipokazi Nxumalo’s gentle delivery of “Prayer for South Africa” is another standout performance on the album.

The choir also digs into the secular world with a remake of Paul Simon’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water”. It’s a great effort, they give the song deeper meaning .Other songs to look out for, include “O Nkosi Yam” and “Ngahlulele.”

This is a great album, a must-have for anyone who appreciates good music.

Cover/Art: 3.5/5 | Sound/Technical: 4.5/5 | “I like it factor”: 9/10

Author: Eddie Hatitye

The family of deceased legendary gospel musician David Mulovhedzi is “disappointed” with the support they got from fellow South Africans when their father died late last year.

Mulovedzi, who was the co-founder of the multi-Grammy award winning Soweto Gospel Choir passed away in December last year, but his family fears that some of his fans may not be aware of his passing. Mulovhedzi’s eldest son, Jimmy says they were let down by local media, musicians and government.

“It’s very disappointing that musicians are still being treated like this. He was a great musician who brought two Grammy Awards home,” comments Jimmy.

An internationally-celebrated musician, Mulovhedzi was also the choirmaster, manager and director of the choir. In his illustrious career, he took the choir to almost every major city in the world, going as far as Saudi Arabia, Korea, Sweden, New Zealand, the US, England, Ghana, Italy and Spain.

Mulovhedzi also mentored a number of choirs in South Africa, including the Holy Jerusalem Choir and Domba La Africa Choir.

Poor media coverage

Jimmy says the coverage his father’s passing received from international media was by far better than what they got locally.

“We sent press releases but local radio stations were not keen to give us decent attention. It’s very disappointing because he was a humble man who helped a lot of people in this industry,” he comments.

He says of all the publications in South Africa, only The Daily Sun wrote an article about his father’s passing.

No support from Government

Jimmy, says they were also very disappointed at government’s failure to supply a speaker at their father’s funeral as is the tradition when revered musos die .

He says they expected more from government since Mulovedzi and his choir headlined government events singing for leaders, including, Nelson Mandela, Thabo Mbeki, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Mrs Zanele Mbeki and Tokyo Sexwale.

“We couldn’t understand it because he was an outstanding musician who dedicated all his life to South African music. The Soweto Gospel Choir was like his baby, even when he was seriously ill.”

Other funerals of deceased singing legends like Miriam “Mama Africa” Makeba and Brenda Fassie were attended by senior government officials.

During his lengthy tenure as leader of the choir, Mulovhedzi was also instrumental in the founding of the choir’s Nkosi’s Haven Vukani Foundation, which, ironically, “supports families and organisations that receive little or no government support.”

No musicians at funeral

Jimmy, who is also a musician, says only a handful of local musicians were present at the funeral.

“I didn’t see many musicians at the funeral. Only members of his choirs showed up,” he says.

However the singer says he is not discouraged and is ready to win more accolades after being asked to replace his father in the colorful choir.

“We are all musicians in my family and we know that these things happen in the music industry. So we are not discouraged at all.”

Mulovedzi died after a short battle with cancer, just after the completion of the choir’s latest album titled Grace.

He is survived by his wife and five sons. He was 61.

South African’s Soweto Gospel Choir has partnered with acclaimed US R&B stars; Akon and Keri Hilson, to record a charity song titled “Oh Africa”. The song, written by a popular American hip hop duo called Rock City and sponsored by Pepsi, also features 16 aspiring musicians from across the world.

The Soweto choir adds an African flavor to the song, with chants that make the backbone of the catchy chorus. The track’s music video features renowned footballers, Fernando Torres and Didier Drogba.

Akon last week confirmed that “Oh Africa” will feature on his eagerly-awaited 2010 album, as well as on Pepsi’s new football commercial.

According to Ahmed Abdel-Karim, UK marketing manager for Pepsi, proceeds from the track will go towards Akon’s Konfidence Foundation; an organisation whose intention is to help underprivileged youth in Africa.

Since starting out in 2002, the Soweto Gospel Choir has performed in Australia, New Zealand, the UK, the US, Europe and Singapore, becoming an international, multi Grammy award-winning sensation.

The 26-member group has also shared stages with noteworthy international musicians like Celine Dion, BeBe Winans, Kirk Franklin, and John Legend. The group also runs a foundation that works closely with orphans and AIDS victims in South Africa.

At present they’re in the US, promoting their latest album titled Grace.

The choir emerged as one of the best-loved acts at the festival which attracted over 330,000 revelers from across the world. The Soweto Gospel Choir debuted at the festival in 2003, managing to raise £9 000 in their first year. This enabled them to launch a charity for Aids orphans and to donate a total of £1-million towards impoverished children in Africa.

Sipokazi Luzipo, a member of the choir, told the BBC that “Next year is a very tight schedule for us. We will be touring right through and we do not have time to come here for a month.”

Despite this, Luzipo indicated that they would always remember the Edinburgh Fringe as the stepping stone to their international career. She said “It is a bit sad for us. It is our farewell year. I think that is why we are giving it so much passion.”

To date they have won two Grammy Awards, both for Best Traditional World Music Album in 2007 and 2008.