Larry Folk offers a revamped rallying cry for these troubled and turbulent times with his new consciousness-raising single and lyric video There Is A Power — showcasing today on Tinnitist.
In an age where political discourse and conversation can be polarizing at best, Toronto folksinger Folk brings a call for unity and equality with his jubilant single There Is A Power. The polyrhythmic, African-rooted song was inspired in part by a memoir detailing life under South Africa’s apartheid regime and the writer’s escape from it.
“Upon reading Mark Mathabane’s Kaffir Boy (a derogatory word used by the ruling whites in South Africa towards black men), I learned of the chant of the black majority at rallies to end apartheid,” Folk says. “The chant, Amandla! Ngawethu! (Power is with us!) inspired me to write a song with the Zulu words, which I sang on Ottawa’s Parliament Hill and at Toronto City Hall at rallies to end apartheid. After the end of the oppressive regime in South Africa, and the victory of the ANC (African National Congress led by Nelson Mandela), there was no longer a need for the song, and it was shelved.”
However, Folk later realized how powerful the message was when he rediscovered the song. “I was sorting through some old demos when I came across the song, and it occurred to me that there might be a place for it now,” he says. “We live in challenging times. I decided to revise the lyric, write a new chorus, and create an exciting new arrangement. The result is a song with a resounding call to unity and freedom.”
There Is A Power has a serious social and political message, but musically is upbeat and bubbly, The track recalling the work of Ladysmith Black Mambazo and the late Johnny Clegg and Savuka, while Folk’s vocal might remind you of Bruce Cockburn. The inviting arrangement from Folk (who also wrote and produced the track), combined with the conscientious lyrics, makes for a powerful message.
There Is A Power is the latest single from Lessen The Blue and the followup to Hey Politician! Folk, who has written and performed for over four decades, has worked with or shared the stage with John Allan Cameron, Rita MacNeil, Sylvia Tyson, Susan Aglukark and George Olliver, among others.
With There Is A Power, Folk hopes to alleviate the division and fractionalization in these challenging, uncertain times. “There’s a lot of blue in the world these days,” he says. “Feels like a good time to lessen it.” With this latest single, he has certainly made a solid step in that direction.
Watch the lyric video for There Is A Power above, hear more from Larry Folk below, and join the fight on his website, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
