Soul Power

Wow. Seriously. If you have any interest in soul’s funkiest period, you have to see the amazing performances in this 1974 concert film. Shot in the former Zaire around the time of the Muhammad Ali/George Foreman fight, Soul Power eschews narration but captures a moment. Stunning, beautifully filmed performances are presented via a half-dozen cameras and razor-sharp editing as The Crusaders, Celia Cruz, James Brown and others do high-octane renditions of some of their best material. The solo guitar-and-voice performance by Bill Withers is revelatory, and shows he has way more chops than his heavily produced album work would lead one to believe. The only downside is that the nonmusical sequences have poor sound and can be a little hard to follow, but that’s a small price to pay for a look at one of the greatest concerts in the history of soul.