[Excerpt]

Don’t expect surprises on Ladysmith Black Mambazo’s Raise Your Spirit Higher (Heads Up).  But sometimes surprises are the last thing you would want in an album, especially when the venerable South Africa Zulu choral group has kept its style intact and quietly evolving over the decades.  Just the thing for jangled nerved and relaxing nighttime listening, the gently lapping waves of harmony were never more compelling, nor have they sounded quite this rich before.  For newcomers to this fine ensemble, best known for a central role in Paul Simon’s breakthrough Graceland.  Ladysmith creates a cappella magic by blending the languid grave of a Christian hymn with peppy syncopation and charismatic good humor.  “Wangibambezela” tells the tale of a man struggling to express what’s in his heart, and whatever the cultural meaning of the clicking and whistling effects that decorate the song, they also do a nice job of signifying the ineffable trying to emerge into words.  Most African bands that sing primarily in a language other than English come across awkwardly when adding English lyrics to a song.  On “Iyahlonipha Lengane,” the ensemble effortlessly switches back and forth between languages without a hitch, and the English snippets come as a nice surprise.  Okay, there are a couple of surprises on the disc.  Nice ones at that.