Even if you are not familiar with the name Ladysmith Black Mambazo (no, they are not from Ladysmith south of Nanaimo), you will almost certainly be familiar with the music of this ten-voice a cappella group from South Africa.

Although they have been active since the 1960’s, they are probably best known in the West for their work on Paul Simon’s 1986 album Graceland.  Their distinctive sound has also been in commercials for 7-Up and Lifesavers, and they can be heard on the motion picture soundtracks for The Lion King, Cry The Beloved Country and Coming to America.

Raise Your Spirit Higher continues the group’s tradition of isicathamiya (is-cot-a-ME-Ya), a style of unaccompanied male-voice singing using simple harmonies and repeated elements.  The group’s leader, Joseph Shabalala, can be heard improvising vocal lines over the repeated elements sung by the rest of the group.

According to the liner notes, and the group’s website www.mambazo.com, Isicathamiya was born in the mines of South Africa, where workers living far way from their families would sing to entertain themselves.

Shabalala converted to Christianity in the 1960’s, and many of the group’s songs reflect Christian belief.  Raise Your Spirit Higher is not limited to the Gospel message, however.  There are songs about marriage, political songs, and even a song used in a road safety campaign, urging people not to drink and drive (“Brothers and Sisters, don’t drink and drive, we still need you!”).

The majority of the songs are sung in their native Zulu, a beautiful, rhythmic language with its distinctive tongue-clicks and flutters.  Although the liner notes contain synopses of the Zulu songs, I would prefer to have the complete lyrics in both English and Zulu, to give a better view of how the songs are constructed.  When they do sing in English (“Black is Beautiful”) the listener gets a clear view of how the Isicathamiya style works.

This is a beautiful recording.  The group’s sound is perfectly blended, always gentle, never forced or contrived sounding, and their rhythm is impeccable.  Kudos to the recording engineers for giving the group a natural sound – it’s nice to hear a recording that is not overproduced.

If you are looking for variety, you won’t find it – all the songs are patterned on the same style, but it is a beautiful style nonetheless.  If you are into world music, or just great inspirational singing, this album is for you.

Reviewed by Robert Fraser