Ottawa Citizen, CD Review >>
Raise Your Spirit Higher 3 Stars
Ladysmith Black Mambazo (Heads Up)
Ladysmith Black Mambazo, the South African a cappella ensemble that came to the attention of North Americans when Paul Simon recruited the group for his Graceland album in 1986, doesn’t change a whole lot from one album to the next.
And that’s just fine, because the group’s joyful mix of traditional Zulu and Christian gospel music – with its sweetness born not of naivete but of faith and goodwill – is as simultaneously soothing and uplifting now as it’s always been.
The one new element is a soft-edged hip hop number written and performed by the grandsons of Joseph Shabalala, the group’s founder. A tribute to the boys’ grandmother, who was murdered two years ago, it reconciles anger and loss with love and hope.
Ladysmith Black Mambazo plays Christchurch Cathedral Feb 23. The show is sold out. 02/07/04