“No part of the world, east or west, can deny the divinity of music. In the first place, music is the language of the soul, and for two people of different nations or races to unite, there is no better source than music. For music not only unites man to man, but man to God.” — Hazrat Inayat Khan
In The Name Of Love: Africa Celebrates U2 is a moving testament to the iconic Irish band who melds artistic excellence with a deep concern for the human condition. Lead vocalist Bono in particular fell under the spell of this luminous continent — for amidst the poverty and hardship, brightness emerges everywhere. And the music of Africa indomitably reflects this paradoxical gaze into the labyrinth of its experience. From the moment of birth, music emerges everywhere — in nature, in the church, street corners, homes, factories, concert halls, prisons, hospitals, the sacred, profane, dull, exotic. It is only when we open our hearts to those sacred melodies that we begin to awaken, to connect, to understand the possibilities.
From Dublin to Benin, Mali, Guinea, Nigeria, South Africa, Senegal, Cameroon, Angola and Sierra Leone comes In The Name Of Love: Africa Celebrates U2 — bringing artists from the many splendors of the human sound lodge into a symphony of brotherhood. The festivities begin with Angelique Kidjo who turns “Mysterious Ways” into an African carnivàle, a faithful soul hymn capitulating to the great spirit of mystery and wonderment. in the Hasidic hands of Vieux Farka Touré, “Bullet The Blue Sky” becomes a seductive Malian anti-war plea — lithe come hither guitars and proverb laden vocals wrangle the soul nest and bequeath Afro-Celt truths.
Ba Cissoko is a musical griot, a West African blues minstrel who plays the kora (a 21-string harp/lute) that brings much color and texture to its sweet architecture of sound. His version of “Sunday Bloody Sunday” is propulsive with a deep sense of urgency. Then from the hinterland of Ireland to the plains of Guinea, a songline of social embrace, legendary Nigerian drummer Tony Allen beautifully afro beats “Where The Streets Have No Name.” His rhythmic propensity makes one want to engage in the sweet nectar of dance — the exuberant dance of life’s enormous wild joys. Vocalist Sandra Nkake sings like an African Bono, oscillating through a “What’s Goin’ On” era Marvin Gaye.
Cheikh Lô drapes “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” in a polyrhythmic tribal baptism. U2’s longing becomes his, which in turn becomes ours. Part of the grand weave in the complex human fabric, U2’s postmodern liturgical hymn “One” as rendered by Keziah Jones takes on the personality of a Brazilian favela — exquisite and full of exotic beauty. A singer of the highest order, Jones is a musical polyglot from Nigeria and a sophisticated artist with a deep concern for his brothers and sisters in Africa.
The Soweto Gospel Choir of South Africa’s take on “Pride (In The Name Of Love)” summons a transcendental energy of communal resonance. The 30+ member musical congregation becomes one, and as we listen we too become one with the sound, the song, and the voice.
Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars used the horrors of war to build a dream on. This group of war refugees perform U2’s “Seconds” in the tabernacle of passionate awareness to the fragility of life — to the grace and bond of brotherhood, using music as catharsis. Featuring Aerosmith’s Joe Perry on guitar, this unlikely pairing shows the magnitude of music’s infinite magic to align and introduce disparate musical personalities.
The African spirit has an enormous capacity to bring joy to dire situations. They sing through peril and collective trauma — songs of their ancestors, songs of the bush, songs of hope, and now, with great aplomb, the songs of U2. A portion of the proceeds from the sales of In The Name Of Love: Africa Celebrates U2 will directly benefit the Global Fund.
~ Lanny Cordola
