Paul Kelly and Gurrumul’s version of “Amazing Grace” will lift your spirit

Two of Australia’s most important singer/songwriters have come together to record a stunning version of a much loved hymn.

Folk and rock legend Paul Kelly, now 60, and Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu first performed Amazing Grace live at the Barunga Festival, and subsequently recorded if for Gurrumul’s newly released The Gospel Album.

The song opens with Gurrumul’s gentle voice, singing the song we’re so familiar with in his own language, Yolngu. When Paul Kelly chimes in with his distinctive drawl, you can’t help but smile and remember that from little things big things, indeed, grow.

Rolling Stone magazine raves about the song, writing: “The duo breathes new life into the well-known Christian hymn, Gurrumul’s adaption of verses into his own Yolngu language giving the immediate distinction, yet it’s his delivery, in his usual perfectly patient manner, that transitions the song — traditionally aligned with calls for forgiveness — towards a more optimistic, hopeful perspective.”

What do you think of this version of Amazing Grace?