\ Ladysmith Black Mambazo

Raise Your Spirit Higher

Label: Heads Up

If you like: A capella singing, South African pop, Paul Simon's Graceland

* * * Ladysmith Black Mambazo, a Grammy-winning vocal ensemble from South Africa, first captured the public's fancy as the featured African vocal ensemble on Paul Simon's Graceland album and in Disney's film The Lion King II.

But such Westernization of the band's music, slight though it may have been, pales in comparison to the group's native albums - the latest of which is Raise Your Spirit Higher.

The disc is a reflection of the band's conversion to Christianity. Though sung in the group's native tongue, the spirituality, integrity and joy of the performances shine through all language barriers.

The ensemble harmonies are almost impossibly smooth. The seamless repetition of melody and rhythm is hypnotic; secondary individual vocal lines and creative vocal outbursts and sounds provide rhythmic contrast and additional shadings to the performances. Leader Joseph Shabalala's keening tenor, combined with the heartfelt soul of each performance, make Raise Your Spirit a thrilling and moving listening experience.