Ladysmith Black Mambazo is a heavenly choir of male voices that sings music of great spiritual and personal conviction. Their music is uplifting and has much of the same strength as American Gospel. It’s music that is deeply rooted in South African musical traditions, but which carries a message for everyone. Probably no one needs to be told that the group was a major component of Paul Simon’s Graceland album, but the group had a long history before Simon ‘discovered’ them and they have continued to make music long after that recording and the Western attention that it brought. Unfortunately, success has not made things easy for the group. Leader Joseph Shabalala, who founded the group in the 60s when he was a factory worker, has suffered many personal losses over the years, possibly politically motivated. Shabala, who converted to Christianity around the same time that he founded the group, lost his wife of thirty years in 2002 when she was killed by a masked gunman in a church parking lot. In June 2004 Shabala’s brother, Ben, was shot dead in a suburb of Durban, South Africa. Ben had been a member of the band from 1979 to 1993.

None of this has dampened Joseph Shabalala’s faith or his ability and determination to make healing music, as Raise Your Spirit Higher demonstrates. The group’s trademark, hushed vocal harmonies are in excellent form. They sing in their native Zulu on most of the tracks, but there are several English language tunes clustered near the end of the CD. “Because I Love,” “Black Is Beautiful,” and “Music Knows No Boundaries” are beautiful tunes that demonstrate that Ladysmith Black Mambazo’s music is not dependent on any specific language, other than the language of music, to get its point across and deliver its beauty. The album’s final track, “Tribute” is especially moving. A tribute by Shabalala’s grandsons to his slain wife, the track fuses African musical traditions with hip-hop sensibilities and bridges both different cultures and generations. Raise Your Spirit Higher is a beautiful and moving performance by this classic vocal group.

Singer Miriam Makeba has been part of South African music all her life, even though her outspoken speech before the U.N. in 1963 against Apartheid led to her being banned from that country. As the 1960s wore on, Makeba married Black Panther Stokely Charmichael and became a controversial figure in the States as well. After living in Guinea for many years, she returned to South Africa in 1990, following the release of Nelson Mandela from prison. At age 72 Mekeba can now look back on a life that was dedicated to the struggle for freedom of black people everywhere, and though the road was tough, she has much to celebrate at this time in her life. Her new CD, Reflections, offers Makeba’s take on a number of different musical styles, merging her native rhythms and styles with those she has encountered in the U.S. and other parts of the world.

The songs on Reflections are a beguiling collection of Makeba’s popular songs that have special meaning to the singer from across her career. “Iyaguduza” and “Pata Pata” are both well-known songs from Makeba’s repertoire and here they receive excellent new arrangements. “Iyaguduza” would not sound out of place on a smooth jazz or easy listening pop station, yet the bubbling West African-style guitar work of Johnny Chonco belies the glistening surface. “Pata Pata” has an appropriate calypso lilt with an effective string arrangement by Peter Mclea and Nelson Lumumba Lee. Also nicely updated is the “Click Song,” long a staple of Makeba’s repertoire.

Makeba also tackles bossa nova and Latin American rhythms on “Mas Que Nada”and “Xica Da Silva,” and in both cases she brings a fresh interpretation to the venerable form. “Mas Que Nada” is more relaxed than the Sergio Mendes version most Americans will remember, a song that is more yearning. The natural rise of the melody is also more apparent in Makeba’s hands. “Xica,” with its drum programming, comes across as a completely modern Brazilian recording, one that could easily have come out of that country’s innovative dance/DJ culture.

But Makeba has even more up her sleeve. She does a wonderful version of ex-husband Hugh Masakela’s American soul-drenched “African Convention” and closes the CD with his powerful “Where Are You Going?” Though one can hear traces of the ravages of time on this last number, Makeba’s mature voice is still wondrous and beautiful, and the smoky, after-hours feel of the track is a perfect conclusion to this excellent recording. There is also an island-rhythm fueled version of Van Morrison’s “I Shall Sing” and a rendition of “Love Tastes Like Strawberries” that sounds like it could easily have come off a recent Cassandra Wilson album. In fact, Makeba’s synthesis of African, Caribbean, and popular American musical styles has much in common with Wilson’s vision of a music that seamlessly combines rootsy American folk sounds with jazz, blues, and pop music. Reflections is a marvelous collection of music from an artist who has not received the recognition she deserves because of a combination of her political and personal beliefs and the circumstances of history.

 

>>Hugh Masekela