LADYSMITH BLACK MAMBAZO "Ilembe: Honoring Shaka Zulu" Heads Up
Ladysmith Black Mambazo revisits its traditional roots on "Ilembe: Honoring Shaka Zulu."
(Heads Up Records)
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LADYSMITH BLACK MAMBAZO"Ilembe: Honoring Shaka Zulu"Heads Up
SOUTH AFRICAN a cappella harmony group Ladysmith Black Mambazo has called its new album "Ilembe: Honoring Shaka Zulu," in recognition of the ruthless, innovative general who united smaller fiefdoms into the Zulu empire of the 1820s.
The dozen songs are new compositions by founder/leader Joseph Shabalala, but they return to the group's 1960s origins in the traditional "isicathamiya" singing style of South Africa's mining camps. There are no American pop stars as guests or extra musicians, just eight male voices blending soft harmonies, percussive grunts and rippling clicks of the tongue.
"Kuyafundw' Osizini (Ilembe)," which translates as "Learning from the Obstacles (The Greatest Warrior)," urges listeners to heed Shaka Zulu's example and to persevere in the face of obstacles and opposition. "Iphel' Emasini," which translates as "A Cockroach in the Milk," sets an old Zulu proverb about ignoring the negative and focusing on the positive to lush, relaxing harmonies. "Prince of Peace," one of three songs that are at least partially in English, blends isicathamiya and Western gospel in tribute to Shabalala's other hero, Jesus Christ.
-- Geoffrey Himes
Appearing Wednesday at Meyerhoff Symphony Hall (410-783-8000,http:/
