Album: Let Somebody Shout Halleluyah
Group: Ayan Jesu Gospel Singers
Reviewer: Olutayo Irantiola
The album ‘Let Somebody Shout
Halleluyah’ is an assemblage of gospel worship and praise songs strictly with
Yoruba drums and instruments namely Agbamole,
Omele, Iya Ilu, Dundun and Sekere. Ayan Jesu Gospel Singers is made up of ten
singers who are fully clad in adire
which is a fabric proudly affiliated to the Egba
people of Ogun State, Nigeria.
The music opened with a praise
eulogy of God in poetry and it flows into a worship session. This is one of the
flowery ways in which Yoruba people praise God and important dignitaries. This
is usually based on the experience of the people with the persona and his genealogy.
Also, the album is a reminder
that Africans have what it takes to produce gospel songs with their indigenous
musical instruments. There is a conception in some quarters that some of these
instruments have been used to worship idols as such, it is not meant to be used
in praising God. I might not be able to disabuse their mind in as much as I am
not a theologian, but I am sure that there is a difference when praising God
listening to rhythm of Yoruba drums in a flowing agbada as it appeals to your
inner being and dancing to the rhythm of gospel hymns music in a suit. This implies
that we cannot separate our person, culture, music and the gospel if it must be
enjoyed.
The praise medley is such a
beautiful compilation to be danced to; the group was such dexterous that they
infused English and Igbo songs as they continued; this does not make it
monotonous and boring. However, King Sunny Ade’s songs and his distinct beats were
also noticed in the album, “Kini ma fi
san ore re, Oba ogo! Ma fi jo yin Baba, ma fijo yin Oba ogo! These are
songs with inference to God but are these ‘really’ gospel songs or moralist
songs.
The beauty of this album is the
use of traditional drums totally. However, I will want to challenge gospel
singers of my age to take time in composing inspiring original songs. I await gospel
music resurgence in Yoruba land like the Good Women Choir, C&S Ayo Ni o
choir of old; the type of albums we have now are recycling of the same songs with
difference in instrumentation and music class.
5 November 2015
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