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Israel Houghton has an interesting story.  He has an interracial background, was abandoned by his father at the age of 1, and received his first name because his mother was given a Bible while living in San Diego – she read the book and "saw Israel throughout the book", so she named him after God's chosen people.   His mother then married a minister, who showed him the Gospel, and the rest is history.

_Alive in South Africa_ is the product of two concerts recorded in Capetown.  It is a celebratory and joyful occasion of worship, from he opening "Alive Overture" to the three track version of "Not Forgotten."   Like most worship albums, it has its moments of repetitiveness, but most of the disc is fun, focusing on Christ and praising Him.

Houghton engages the audience throughout, encouraging their participation with call-and-response type of singing, and in teaching them new songs from the stage, as in "Turn it Around."

Several vocalist trade leads during the concerts.  Aaron Lindsey, Israel himself, Hector Soto, Stacey Joseph, Danielle Stephens, and native African Jonathan Butler takes turns singing, chanting, and exhorting the crowd, while back by the gospel meets funk strains of New Breed. 

While this disc will generally appeal more to fans of gospel, I defy anyone to listen to these discs all of the way through, and not feel something stirring within them.   Neil Young once sang that "even Richard Nixon has got soul," and Israel and New Breed will dig it out of the staunchest, most died-in-the-wool conservatives among us.

Brian A. Smith
2/3/2006