TROY -- Attention Britney Spears, the Simpson sisters and all other singing, dancing divas: Not only is it quite possible to sing and dance at the same time (without prerecorded electronic aid), it can actually be quite astounding and entertaining when it happens. In a magical, moving show at Troy Savings Bank Music Hall, it took a group from South Africa to remind us of that.

Founded in 1974, the nine-member a capella group Ladysmith Black Mambazo performs indigenous Zulu music with a twist or two. From the town of Ladysmith, Joseph Shabalala brought to his bandmates a style of harmony that came to him in a dream; combing traditional Zulu sounds with the choral sensibilities of the Christian church. Quite renowned in their native area, they became known worldwide when Paul Simon used them on his groundbreaking "Graceland" album.

In Troy, the stage was nearly naked as eight mike stands stood in a row, one planted center stage in front. Eight gentlemen -- in festive blue and yellow dashikis over black pants and impossibly spotless white sneakers -- stood in a long line. Shabalala stood out front, ebullient voice guiding and steering the way.

The historic Hall was made for music like this, the perfect acoustics enhancing the impeccable blend of rich, textual voices. Early on, a constant, unfailing formula formed the foundation of all the songs. First, the choral singers would establish a two-measure repeated phrase; Shabalala would then sing in the frequent rests, spaces, and that would be the verse. The call-and-response pattern that emerges is Ladysmith's calling card. Slowly, in small increments, the songs would increase in intensity from a simmer to a near boil. Beyond words were grunts, groans and shushes used as percussion. As the music crescendoed, so would the members' dance moves: swaying and grooving but eventually building to what became head-level high kicks.

Four of Shabalala's sons are group members, one offered the sparkling "This Is the Way We Do." There were songs celebrating South Africa's liberation from apartheid, there were songs to prepare for war. Most were sung in Zulu, some had English lines intermixed. All carried significant weight and were delivered in a serious manner. As Shabalala said "indigenous music is a mirror," and this music revealed what these nine righteous gentlemen were about, and left us with a better understanding not only of themselves and but their culture.

It's amazing what real music can do.

David Malachowski is a local freelance writer from Woodstock and a regular contributor to the Times Union.

Music review

LADYSMITH BLACK MAMBAZO

When: 8 p.m. Saturday

Where: Troy Savings bank Music Hall, State Street, Troy

Length: Two 50-minute sets

Crowd: A packed house of Hall regulars with a healthy amount of student-age attendees as well.

Highlights: In the end, it seemed like one long, hypnotic drone.

By DAVID MALACHOWSKI