Ladysmith Black Mambazo - Zibuyinhlazane

“The curious beauty of African music is that it uplifts even as it tells a sad tale. You may be poor, you may have only a ramshackle house, you may have lost your job, but that song gives you hope. African music is often about the aspirations of the A.” - Nelson Mandela

Well after Sweet Honey and Krishna Das, I figured I was on a roll with uplifting group song, so why not post an album from the masters of that genre? They're probably no strangers to you, having won two grammy's and toured the world, lauded as "South Africa's Cultural Ambassadors" by none other than former South African President Nelson Mandela Himself.

And yet again we have god-praising going on (sans preaching, however). Seems to be a thing about vocal music embodying the holiest (or most human? or is it the same?) of our musical aspiration. As I write this, I realize that maybe I oughta post Arvo Pärt next, for yet another take on the subject. Anyway, I won't say too much about them, since you probably already know enough. This album is fairly standard among their repertoire, and though it features a song in english (Homeless, co-written by Paul Simon), it is gratefully devoid of obnoxious western production detriments.


“If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.” - Nelson Mandela

Ladysmith Black Mambazo was founded by Joseph Shabalala in 1974. They've cut well over 30 albums since, but the group did not become well known outside of South Africa until Paul Simon asked them to perform on Graceland. Shabalala was born into a poor family that lived on a white man's farm near the town of Ladysmith. There were eight children in the Shabalala family, and, as the oldest boy, it was Joseph's duty to take care of the family after his father died.

Shabalala's first musical experience, save for a bit of fooling around on the guitar, came with a choral group called the Blacks. Shabalala eventually took over leadership of the group and became its main composer. The Blacks won most of the local vocal competitions and became the most popular Zulu vocal group, but Shabalala felt that something was missing. "I had been hearing a voice inside me," Shabalala said. "I didn't know it, but it was the voice of God." When the voice told him to fast, Shabalala obeyed, and on his fast, he had a vision of a new kind of vocal music. Shortly thereafter he became a Christian. Taking the choral music he heard in the Christian church, he combined it with the Zulu tradition to create his own style.

When the Blacks refused to take part in Shabalala's experiments, he formed Ladysmith Black Mambazo. The group consists of seven bass voices, an alto, a tenor, and Shabalala singing lead. The combo immediately began releasing albums at a staggering rate, offering a massive catalog of vocal music. Even if you don't speak Zulu, when they hit a low rumbling note, you can literally feel the power of their voices in your body.

"In Zulu singing there are three major sounds," Shabalala explains. "A high keening ululation; a grunting, puffing sound that we make when we stomp our feet; and a certain way of singing melody. Before Black Mambazo you didn't hear these three sounds in the same songs. So it is new to combine them, although it is still done in a traditional style. We are just asking God to allow us to polish it, to help keep our voices in order so we can praise Him and uplift the people."

Ladysmith Black Mambazo - Zibuyinhlazane
Year: 1991
Label: Rhino

Tracks:
1. Homeless - 3:37
2. Inhle Lentombi - 3:20
3. Nomathemba - 3:30
4. Isigcino - 3:40
5. Nkosi Yama Khosi - 3:17
6. Isitimela - 3:58
7. Zintombi - 3:37
8. Amabutho - 3:22
9. Baleka Mfana - 3:22
10. Vulan' Amasango - 3:15

lift me up.
mp3 >192kbps vbr | w/o cover | 59mb