November 6, 2024.
Since 2003, it has been the main French and perhaps even European event for lovers of contemporary gospel… After celebrating its 20th anniversary with great fanfare last year in Bercy with the legendary Clark Sisters, the Paris Gospel Festival , still run by its founders, pastors David and Jocelyne Goma, returned to its usual format with a unique performance at the Grand Rex and a more modest poster, but no less attractive, especially since the Parisian visits artists in this register are extremely rare.
Like every year, it's the choir Total Praise Mass Choir which opens the evening, under the direction ofIsabelle Ngombowith its various usual soloists and the occasional participation of dancers and the accompaniment of the orchestra led once again by Théophane Koffiand confirms that it is, in its register, at the level of the best American ensembles of the genre.
The first guest star is Tasha Page-Lockharta singer from Detroit who is notably known for her victory in 2013 on the gospel talent show Sunday Best broadcast on the BET channel. Since then, she has released two albums and a few singles and collaborated with Kirk Franklin and Tye Tribbett. His forceful approach without much nuance, on a repertoire from his own recordings, is not entirely to my taste, but enchants a room that loves nothing more than vocal acrobatics, and it is difficult to not to let yourself be won over by the fervor that accompanies her when she attacks her Nobody but Jesuswhich she notably performed during the Malaco fiftieth anniversary concert.
Time for an intermission, and it's the turn of Todd Dulaney to join the stage. Originally from Maywood, Illinois, the young forty-year-old first got into sports, as a professional baseball player, before turning to gospel under the leadership of Smokie Norful. Since his recording debut in 2011, he has released five albums under his name – two of which reached number one in the specialist rankings – and scored a few hits, first and foremost Victory belongs to Jesusrecognized from the first notes by an audience of connoisseurs and of which he gives an extended version, supported both by the voices of the choir and those of the spectators. More composed than Tasha Page-Lockhart – who sat in the room to follow the show, Dulaney has a quiet charisma and his warm presence visibly seduces his listeners, especially as he benefits from a solid repertoire with songs catchy like The anthem or Proverbs 3 (Tablet of your heart).
No big surprises to expect from Kim Burrellwho is participating in the event for the third time in a row. The singer, who recently apologized for the homophobic positions that derailed her career a few years ago, was once again greeted with enthusiasm by the audience. Now a regular at the event, she offers a repertoire different from that of her previous appearances. If the Victory frenetic which opens his performance – a title from his first album, released almost 30 years ago – is not of much interest, his reading of the O my soul loves Jesus by Kurt Carr, which she does not seem to have recorded, allows her to deploy all her nuances as a performer, perfectly supported by the choir, and triggers the enthusiasm of an audience in total empathy. Call his namewhich she recently recorded as a guest on Kenny Lewis and One Voice, was also a success, as was the Thank you Jesus (That’s what he’s done)taken from his latest album (which dates back to 2015), which closes a performance which only confirms Burrell's status as one of the greatest voices in the history of gospel.
Despite a less spectacular line-up than in previous years, the Paris Gospel Festival remains a unique event, which gives the opportunity to hear extremely rare artists on our stages – neither Page-Lockhart nor Dulaney had had the opportunity to happening in France so far – in the appropriate context, and a major event for fans of the genre.
Text : Frédéric Adrian
Photos © Add Coulibaly, Fernande Gousse et Oluwatobi Alakinde
