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Ladysmith Black Mambazo "llembe"
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Songlines, Ladysmith Black Mambazo "llembe" >>
No baked beans here- and no cheese thankfully
So prolific are Ladysmith Black Mambazo that Ive lost count of how many times I've enthused in Songlines about thier uplifting Zulu voices, the innate sense of rythmic swing that seems to be programmed into thier DNA and the indomitable vision of thier founder and leader Joeseph Shabalala. What is there to add llembe? Well thankfully there are none of the ghastly pop crossover collaberations that reached a nadir when they sang 'Once in a Blue Moon' with the lighthouse family, no nasty remixes or inappropiate string arrangements. At this late stage, they're not about to come up with anything particulary innotive or attention -grabbing, but what we get is Ladysmith simply doing what they do best: Singing a capella in mostly Zulu on a set of stunningly beautifal songs that are firmly aimed at thier own loyal domestic constituency, not at some ephmeralpop audience, such as the title - track dedicated to the great Zulu hero, King Shaka. Now in his 70's, Shabala has lost none of his enthusiasm and his voice is as strong as ever , while his backing singers (now down to seven, it appears) provide typically glorious harmonies. One final thought: in thier career, Ladysmith have recieved a dozen Grammy nonimnations, yet they've never won a single mention in the in the BBC Radio 3 Awards for World Music. If ever there was a case for the introduction of a Lifetime Achievement award, Shabalala and his inspiring crew are it.
BY: Nigel Williamson
07/01/07
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