Due to that spiritual content, strengthened through forty years of singing together, Ladysmith Black Mambazo’s message--and its mission--have remained unswerving: that of fervent hopes for peace and of converting hardship into a steadfast adherence to faith, assuredly a Christian message. That paradoxical strengthening of belief through sudden and sometimes shocking exposure to adversity became even more evident when Ladysmith Black Mambazo founder Joseph Shabalala’s wife of thirty years was murdered in 2002. Instead of seeking revenge on the unapprehended assailant as his faith was put to the test, Shabalala espoused the need for peace, for a raising of the spirit, even more strenuously. Much of the music on Raise Your Spirit Higher [Wenyukela] was recorded after the murder. Indeed, one of the most touching tracks, although lacking in Ladysmith Black Mambazo’s rich harmonies as it is sung in unison, is “Tribute,” a little-more-than-a-minute-long address by Shabalala’s grandsons to his late wife, Nellie.

Ladysmith (the name of Shabalala’s rural hometown) Black (an allusion to the strength of oxen) Mambazo (Zulu for “axe,” signifying the group’s ability to chop vocal competitors) unfailingly presents a message (or messages) for listeners, often in call-and-response fashion. Shabalala’s pleas are answered by a broad spectrum of male voices in surprisingly conventional harmony. For instance, the chorus’ reflections upon Shabalala’s themes of “Wenyukela” are formed as a broadly spaced tonic chord, declarative and simply eschewing such tightly knit and sometimes dissonant jazz harmonies as major ninths or minor blues sevenths. Some of the songs, such as “Wangibambezela,” involve parables, and some, like “Uqinisil’ Ubada,” reveal self-confessions, and all feature lessons learned or warnings given. Despite the group’s earnestness, its ardor remains contained, never attempting the summit climbing of gospel. Rather, Ladysmith Black Mambazo stays coolly irresistible as its music maintains a fairly constant dynamic range consistent with its roots in the traditions of South African miners, who sang, and ultimately developed a subgenre of music, to relieve the stress of six continuous days of strenuous manual labor.

As Heads Up’s third release in its series featuring South African musicians, Raise Your Spirit Higher encompasses a universal spirit, eternally present but inadequately expressed by those less articulate than Ladysmith Black Mambazo, that perpetuates hope despite the concomitant presence of faith-testing hardship.

Tracks: Wenyukela, Uqinisil’ Ubada, Selingelethu Sonke, Wangibambezela, Wenza Ngani, Udidekil’ Umhlaba, Lyahlonipha Lengane, Wamlul’ Umshado, Because I Love, Black Is Beautiful, Music Knows No Boundaries, Fak’ Ibhande, Tribute

Record Label Website: http://www.headsup.com

Artist's Website: http://www.mambazo.com

Reviewed by: Don Williamson