Soul to Soul review – joyous 1971 concert film captures Black American stars’ emotional return to Ghana

2026-03-05 - 11:13

Restored documentary records a historic independence day show in Accra, with electrifying performances from Tina Turner, Wilson Pickett and more This exuberant, distinctively high-minded documentary, now restored, comes from the Oscar-winning though now somewhat overlooked film-maker Denis Sanders, made just one year after his renowned 1970 film Elvis: That’s the Way It Is, about Elvis Presley in Las Vegas. Soul to Soul is a record of an epic independence day concert in Accra, Ghana, in 1971, given by American and Ghanaian musicians. Ghana was chosen as it was the first sub-Saharan African nation to gain independence from Britain. Among the US contingent were Tina Turner, Wilson Pickett, Santana, the Staple Singers and the Voices of East Harlem. The concert and film can be seen now as part of the American Black consciousness debate of the time, which specifically prized the concept of the African motherland and the spiritual importance of returning to the wellspring of Black American inspiration. With its shots of the musicians aboard the plane to Ghana, and the rich and teeming ambient material showing Accra’s street life, you might find yourself reminded of Leon Gast’s When We Were Kings, about the Ali/Foreman fight in what was then Zaire, although without the talking-head perspective. There are richly enjoyable performances, and the extreme closeup shots of Tina Turner are where its energy is at its most visceral. Continue reading...