It is one thing to be moved by music. It is a whole other to be brought to life by it.

But that is exactly what happened to the audience, including myself, on Sunday afternoon when Grammy Award-winning African-American ensemble Sweet Honey in the Rock graced the stage.

The music began as the lights went down, and as the members of the sextet walked on stage, the crowd erupted into applause, and later on into chants, clapping and swaying.

The show was unlike anything I had ever seen in the sense that very few artists in today’s world sing about issues that really matter, not superficial love or wild parties.

Sweet Honey in the Rock sang about everything from deep-down; real, unconditional love, domestic abuse and the joys and pains of motherhood to greed, life beyond racial distinction and the spirits of loved ones who have died. The ensemble gave an empowering performance that invigorated the audience into joining in the fights of the causes in which they believe.

The performance was inspiring as the messages came through so clearly and powerfully through the a capella music.

While it is frequently argued that electric shows do not hold a candle to acoustic ones, Sweet Honey in the Rock took live performance to a whole new level with their a capella style. This genre of music really showcased each of the six women’s abilities to use their voices as instruments, singing beautiful notes and using vocals to sound like instruments and to layer melodies and harmonies in each song. The performers’ vocal talents transcended lyrics as they produced sounds as well as notes. During many songs, Dr. Ysate Maria Barnwell used her soulful voice to imitate bass lines in the music, but in one song, another one of the singers imitated birds chirping.

The group sometimes used hand-held percussion instruments that added to the pure, simplistic feel of the music and allowed the focus to be played on the powerful voices of the women and the strong messages they were sending.

My love for intimate performances makes my standard of judging performances based on levels of audience interaction. Sweet Honey in the Rock took the cake on this one.

Not only did they encourage clapping and dancing along with songs, they invited audience members to shout out the names of deceased loved ones at the end of ‘Breaths,’ a song about the spirits of those we have lost being with us in the present.

I got goose bumps many times throughout the show, twice when Sweet Honey in the Rock had the audience sing along. The first time, the crowd sang along to ‘Trying Times’ and was repeating that phrase. The other was the second to last song, when the crowd sang along to the chorus of another song, singing ‘We who believe in freedom, cannot rest until it comes.’ This song, and the crowd singing along, brought the audience to their feet as they clapped, swayed to the music and sang along.

What turned out to be the most electrifying moment for me was the song Sweet Honey in the Rock sang before intermission. The song, about political issues the group identified, addressed the recent indictment of I. Lewis Libby, the war in Iraq, the government’s reaction to the terrorists attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, the recent hurricanes that have ravaged the gulf coast and general criticisms of President George W. Bush, who they referred to as ‘a cowboy running wild.’ The soulful energy that radiated from this song and the electricity it created in the audience was simply incredible.

Another song dealt with the excitement of having a child often overshadowing the greater responsibilities of raising it. In the introduction to this song, one of the members of the group said, ‘All of the children all over the world are our responsibility. What we want for ours we have to want for all of the world’s. We have to make sure no child is left behind for real.’

The abuse of nature by the human race was another topic addressed in song. One Sweet Honey in the Rock member said she felt loved so unconditionally because if Mother Earth could get away from humans, she’d already be gone.

‘She’s be running for her life,’ she said.

One of the most powerful songs discussed greed as a major underlying problem in American society.

‘I guess we could get rid of global warming, hunger, disease and loneliness if we could get rid of greed,’ another member said. ‘Greed is a poison rising in the land.’

But while the auditorium was jam-packed, the turnout was comprised of students from a Performance Live class in the fine arts department who were there for an assignment, Syracuse University staff and faculty members and citizens from the community at large.

Kelsey Scram, a freshman broadcast journalism major, said while she was there for the class, she greatly enjoyed the show.

‘I like it,’ she said. ‘(Sweet Honey in the Rock) is really passionate about their music, and I like that.’ She said she did agree with many of the messages the group was sending, but a song demanding change, specifically in terms of the current government, didn’t resonate with her.

Maryann Phillips, a member of the Syracuse community, said she thought the music was beautiful, alluding to the a capella element.

‘This is really singing,’ Phillips said, adding she loved the song ‘Breaths.’

Janice Speights, a Syracuse community member who works with many community groups such as Save the Children, said she enjoyed the show because Sweet Honey in the Rock utilizes the ‘old, African-American way’ by giving mini-sermons through its music.

‘They just put it in a more palatable area,’ Speights said.

Published on October 30, 2005 at 12:00 pm