Joseph Shabalala was inspired to sing by a vision in the 1960's. Several decades later, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, the group formed by Shabalala, continues to sing in praise of God and against injustice and the hosts of social problems rampant in post-Apartheid South Africa. Raise Your Spirit Higher (Heads Up International) the groups latest endeavor, lives it up to its billing with 13 tracks characterized by the intricately woven bass, alto and tenor acapella harmonies for which Ladysmith is renowned. From the title track through to the end, Ladysmith's uplifting voices, tempered by the clicking sounds of the Zulu language, evoke not only peace and love — central themes in the bands wealthy repertoire of songs — but the hardships and the eventual triumph of the black majority in South Africa.