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University of Evansville Crescent Online , Feature >>
‘Long Walk to Freedom’ a historical journey
by Jim Abbott, Orlando Sentinel
Friday, February 10, 2006
(KRT)—Ladysmith Black Mambazo stepped into the classical realm for its collaboration with members of the English Chamber Orchestra on last year’s “No Boundaries,” but the South African singers tiptoe into their own past on this 13 track album.
“Long Walk to Freedom” is timed to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Ladysmith Black Mambazo’s famous collaboration with Paul Simon on his landmark “Graceland” album. It put South African music into the consciousness of a pop audience and lifted Mambazo from relative obscurity.
To mark the occasion, the ensemble’s founder and signature personality, Joseph Shabalala, has assembled an impressive list of guest artists to help reinterpret music from all phases of Mambazo’s career, which stretches back to the early 1960s.
“Graceland” is referenced in new versions of the frisky “Diamonds on the Soles of her Shoes” and a tender a cappella “Homeless.” The former features Melissa Etheridge on lead vocals that radiate a harder edge and a different vibe than Simon’s original.
Her presence sounds a little odd at first, until the song is carried away by the exuberant backing chorus that injects the melody with new vigor. A big part of the appeal is human beat-box Joe McBride, who adds the essential percussion.
Sarah McLachlan joins the singers on “Homeless,” which otherwise doesn’t stray too far from the delicate original, including Shabalala’s tremulous, almost whispered, falsetto introduction. Compared with the subtle power of the ensemble, McLachlan’s contribution is almost invisible.
Natalie Merchant establishes herself more naturally on “Rain Rain Beautiful Rain,” an incantation culled from Mambazo’s 1987 Grammy-winning “Shaka Zulu.” The soft, simple tune sounds like a sweet lullaby, a mood reinforced by Merchant’s understated delivery of the lyrics.
Mambazo, of course, doesn’t need pop stars to shine. Through a distinctive blend of voices, deep and gentle, it is like a force of nature on the opening “Nomathemba” and the gospel-tinged “How Long.”
So whether it’s bluesman Taj Mahal adding exhortations and electric guitar to the familiar chorus of “Mbube” or Emmylou Harris going country on “Amazing Grace” and “Nearer My God to Thee,” it’s the raw yet refreshingly contemporary voices of Mambazo’s collaborators that make “Long Walk to Freedom” worth the trip. 02/10/06 >> go there
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