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Senior Arts Reporter

Gospel group, The Vine, has said preparations for their live recording for their second album “The Great Physician” are at an advanced stage, with South Africa group, the Soweto Gospel Choir, coming for the recording.

The recording, which is scheduled this weekend at the Rainbow Towers, features the group director Everton Mlalazi, Mabongi Mabaso and Mahalia Buchanan, among others.

In an interview, Mlalazi said it was a dream come true for the group to work with the Grammy award winning Soweto Gospel Choir.

“The headline feature on the album is the Grammy award-winning Soweto Gospel Choir,” said Mlalazi. 

“Soweto Gospel Choir is very talented and yet very humble. Their energy is easy to take on. It’s infectious. We were blessed working with them.

“All is set for the live recording and we have started rehearsals and the stage is almost complete for Saturday. To date, one song from the album “Inyang’ Enkulu” which is a Ndebele translation of “The Great Physician” has been released.”

Mlalazi said the album has 12 songs and features songs like “The Great Physician”, “Inyang’ Enkulu”, “Pass me not oh Gentle Saviour”, “Prayer”, “Mngane Wami”, “Psalms 94” and “Ndimi Simba”.

Mlalazi, who is also a musician, said the popular song “Inyang’ Enkulu” which has been released has a video recorded at the Castle of Good Hope in Cape Town.

“All the songs will have videos which will be recorded on April 30,” he said. 

“The album came after the realisation that we need the ‘sympathizing Jesus’ the ‘healing Jesus’ during and after Covid-19 pandemic as we continue to nurse the effects of the disease.” 

Mlalazi said the songs were written and arranged by producer, Nigel Nyangombe.

The live recording will host Soweto Gospel Choir, a 40-piece orchestra from Cape Town, Mahalia and Mabongi.

“The most exciting thing is the fusion between our own local musicians and those from down South,” he said. 

“The Vine started working on their current project in earnest in 2020, as they started work on some of the tracks even earlier. 

“The work came to a stop after the pandemic started. At first the thought was that the work was going to resume soon. 

‘‘But as we all know the pandemic is still ongoing and then when winter moved in, it then came to the realisation of the people in the ensemble that they would need to come up with a plan to still get the project done regardless of the situation. 

“The pandemic itself was also an inspiration for the album, the situation that people around us are going through needs a great physician.”

In 2018, the 15-member group produced an album entitled, “Musandipfuure”.