Freedom

They may not have the legendary status and history of Ladysmith Black Mambazo, but Soweto Gospel Choir are one of the great, long-established vocal groups in South Africa, a country where harmony singing has long played a crucial role in the culture of popular music. The award-winning choir have worked alongside everyone from Stevie Wonder to Peter Gabriel and Aretha Franklin. Their latest release is a collection of freedom songs that marks the centenary of Nelson Mandela's birth, and includes a message from Cyril Ramaphosa, South Africa's current president, who describes this as ‘a joyous celebration of the free and united nation that we have become.’

And indeed it is, though it's a mixed bag. They are at their least successful with better-known songs, including those two great anti-apartheid anthems, Johnny Clegg's ‘Asimbonanga’ and Peter Gabriel's ‘Biko’, which both lack the emotional power and intensity of the original versions. And their treatments of the American gospel classic ‘Jesus on the Mainline’ and Leonard Cohen's ‘Hallelujah’ are pleasant but unremarkable. However, the best songs are the gutsy, full-bloodied gospel-influenced pieces that show the choir at their peak, and include the stirring Mandela tributes ‘Rolihlahla Mandela’ and ‘Ibambeni Webafana’, while the slower pieces include a powerful treatment of Mama Africa, Miriam Makeba's ‘Mama Ndiyalila’.