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Shaka Zulu
Ladysmith Black Mambazo
1987
Wikipedia
Reviews
Like a review? Give it a thumb up to help us display relevant reviews!There are only so many albums that I get three tracks into and think \"Wow, I need this album in my life.\" It's so peaceful and beautiful. The fact that I went through the whole album and never missed instruments is a tribute to the incredible brilliance of the arrangements. The whole album has the same feeling, but it never feels boring or like it's dragging. 5/5
Smooth record, and thought I recognized them from Paul Simon's Graceland album! Africa refreshes me :)
Love it. The companion piece to Graceland. The real heart and soul of that album on full display here. So pure and recorded with just the right amount of "space" and reverb. Feels very present but also very comfortable. Love the balance and stereo play between the ears on headphones. The unaccompanied human voice is the purest and sometimes most powerful way to experience music. Would love to hear this performed in person so I could really feel the vibrations of those voices.
Beautiful. I don't understand a word of it and I don't have to. The acapella harmonies wash over you and just leave you floating in a sea of sound. It alternates between lively and hauntingly beautiful. Sure, it gets pretty repetitive, almost hypnotic at times, and I felt my attention wandering which is why it doesn't get a 5-star review. But, despite that, it's a great album and I'm glad it's on this list.
It’s just so peaceful and blissful. Relaxing, weirdly enough. I love the harmonies and the rhythms of the vocals. Some mouth sounds, like clicking and hissing. Idk, I feel like I’m having a really nice spiritual experience. I really like it, but let’s be honest, they run together a lot. By the end of the record, I felt like I could really use some other instrumentation or something to break it up. The stomps and claps on the last track were so welcome.
Beautiful vocal music, a treat for ears. This album not only improved my mood immensely, but also gave a feeling of such pure joy. Happy, full melodies, in combination with a great mix of vocals.
First thought: weren't these guys "world music for people who don't like world music"? I sort of avoided them after hearing a couple of commercial crossover tracks, although they were good on Paul Simon's Graceland, which propelled them to stardom. I'm happily surprised by the quality of this. Great acapella harmonising with a small number of male voices. Recording seems fantastically done (and I think I read Paul Simon produced it?). There's a deep echo-ey resonance to the voices, which sail through the tracks, making it all sound easy. Personally, I find the English-language tracks aren't quite as enjoyable. Maybe it's because I can't understand the lyrics on the other tracks, so I'm just getting a pure enjoyment of the voices without literal meaning. Or maybe it's because these guys are more comfortable and practised in their native tongue. But in any case, it's still a solid album which makes me want to check them out more. 4/5. Edit: this also feels like a tokenistic inclusion on the list, given how little traditional/folk/ritual music is given coverage. But it would be stupid to hold this against the album itself.
Absolutely beautiful singing. Felt like Red in Shawshank Redemption listening to opera in the prison yard: "To this day I have no idea what those two Italian ladies were singing about. Truth is, I don't want to know. Some things are better left unsaid. I'd like to think they were singing about something so beautiful, it can't expressed in words, and it makes your heart ache because of it.” We read about Shaka Zulu, and talked about apartheid and Paul Simon, who produced this. Bought a copy on vinyl!
Slick. Did some background reading (like everyone else I think) and discovered these guys were the backup on Simon's Graceland. Cool. You could easily put this music on in the background and have it run all day - not disturbing, occasionally noticing something really special. And I think that's both good and bad in that it kind of all blends together. But if you had to have something that does that, it would be this sound. Beautiful, positive energy.
I remember Ladysmith Black Mambazo from Paul Simon’s music and read that he produced this album. The harmonies are amazing and so chill, which is the point of this style of music. Wawusho Kubani sounds like the call and response of gospel mixed in with Stomp. How Long reminded me of Barbershop Quartet and Rain, Rain was like 50’s Early rock. Overall, I wish I understood more of the lyrics, but I really appreciated the talent of the singers.
Shaka Zulu was pretty good, not sure if it was because of the mood i was in or what but it was decent background stuff. tammy thought it sounded a bit like african gospel. wither way the gods must be crazy I give it three empty coke bottles
No coneixia aquest grup i el meu desconeixement de la música africana és absolut. Música sense instruments, només amb veus, i amb un punt espiritual. He començat a escoltar-lo amb interés, però m'ha acabat cansant.
This is the first time I've listened to a full Ladysmith Black Mambazo album and I really dug it. It's one I will listen to again for sure!
So I’m a sucker for world music, so I love this so far, although the Spotify link says 1969, not 1987. Love.
Este es un buen ejemplo de porque este ejercicio vale la pena. Es un disco que de otra forma jamás hubiera escuchado, y quizás requiera paciencia y un estado de ánimo muy específico, pero en ese contexto es una joya.
I find this extremely calming and beautiful. Wonderful that a group like this achieved international success.
What if you took the BEST part of the BEST Paul Simon album, and you made THAT into its own album?
This album was simply beautiful, coupled with the history of the album and the group, it's absolutely an album I would classify as an album that must be heard before you died.
Pure optimism. What a joy to listen to something that is musically amazing but resonates so powerfully.
Very calming, healing album. Goes great on a park stroll to just clear your head and energy. A lot of it blends together, language barrier issue but it smoothly transitions all the way through. Standout Tracks: Golgotha, Rain, Rain, Beautiful Rain, Wausho Kubani? (Who Were You Talking To?)
Definitely an album worth listening to. A unique sound and a joy to listen to. Yes, I just wrote that.
Música africana. Shooting to fame as the vocal group on Paul Simon's classic album Graceland,
Such nice vocal music. I listened to it while at work and it was just the right amount of relaxing.
Listening to this while walking through the Bird Sanctuary was like a religious experience.
Really enjoyed the album, even that guy that kept making that clicking noise. Relaxing and beautiful.
“Oh yeah, those guys from that Paul Simon album. Whatever happened to them…?” These guys are great. Always enjoy hearing them. A capella music is always so refreshing to listen to, and this one I know none of the songs. Nice palate cleanser.
I don't expect many other entries on the list to sound like this. That's a shame, as the recording captures something unique and captures it well. There's a definite devotional aspect to the songs, though they neither present themselves as a logical series nor explode into true long-form. There's something wrong-way-rubbing about "world" music. Not sure if it's contextual or actually in the aura of the music, but as the body percussion comes in at the end of the LP that feeling sharpens.
Very pleasant and almost hypnotic sound. I can imagine that when this was first released it was groundbreaking.
Por un lado, qué bonitos y bien cuidados arreglos vocales. Creo que es el primer disco 100% a capella que nos ha tocado y me parece que es un gran ejemplo de algo que debes oír, aunque sea por abrir horizontes. Por otro lado, creo que todo lo no-occidental que hemos oído es africano, y quizá haya un tanto de sesgo en ese sentido. Eso, obviamente no le quita calificación a este disco.
Un disco muy muy chulo. La verdad en parte de eso siento que se trata el discos que "debes" escuchar, también es el punto de conocer y adentrarte en estilos musicales tradicionales que normalmente se pasan por alto. De todas las cosas con sonido africano que nos ha tocado esta es la más sencilla, auténtica y tradicional, aparte de ser un estilo de canto que me agrada mucho. Me hace pensar que me encantaría que hubiera algun disco por ejemplo de cantos de tuvan mongol, o canto tibetano, un disco de una obra de kabuki, hay muchos estilos musicales que cuadrarían perfecto en el punto de cosas que "debes" escuchar al menos una vez, dudo mucho que llegue a esos puntos la lista pero al menos esta entrada es agradable de ver. Punto interesante (y esperaría que no fuera la única razón por la que hubieran caido aquí o no habrá más cosas de este tipo) es que el grupo cantó con Paul Simon en el disco de Graceland y de ahí fue que se dieron un poco a conocer.
You love ladysmith black mabazo. And for good reason. Wonderful choruses building momentum with turns and cannons. Authentic unsacrificing sound with beautiful lyrics. When the sun says goodnight to the mountain.
This is another band I came across quite randomly when searching for something different. I went to browse the foreign section of a record store and picked the one LBM LP they had (it wasn't the one 1001 sent us) since, based on the cover photo, they didn't look like they would be playing the same crap the radio stations were force feeding us. The picture sung a thousand words! Their singing is beautiful and they create lovely melodies without instruments. My personal music culture makes it tough to listen to an entire album of a capella. In the late 90s they put out an album that had Dolly Parton on lead vocals. On that LP they had instruments on the DP song and some other songs which mixed it up nicely.
Probably the most unique thing on this list so far. From the Graceland album. This was really badass but it’s definitely not something I could listen to every day. Fave tracks: “How Long”
Eens iets anders dan ik gewoon ben. Ik zou hier op bijvoorbeeld 'Festival Dranouter' ongetwijfeld zeer hard van kunnen genieten. Het heeft iets gospelachtig, maar tegelijk wel dromerig. Maar ik ben niet compleet overdonderd
Really good introduction to their sound and very relaxing to listen to. Without knowing the lyrics, a whole album almost felt like listening to Gregorian chants or renaissance choral works.
For sure worked with Paul Simon. It's the spine of some of later work and you can hear it's influence over the last 35 years.
Prekrasno. Slušala sam album ujutro u krevetu sa slušalicama i 30 minuta nisam o ničemu razmišljala
At last, something different! Beautiful. To those who think Paul Simon exploited them, note that they had been together since the 1960s and recording from 1973 - yet no-one knew who they were outside of South Africa, until he brought them to worldwide attention practically overnight. Ask how exploited they feel about that.
It was good until it jumped into some sort of fusión electrónica but then I realized Spotify just jumped to something else. So, it was quite enjoyable
Listen to this album at full volume. This album neeeeeds its full dynamic range. I listened to the first half in class. I had it about half volume so I could still hear the lecture. I didn’t reallly care about what was going on in the album. I was kinda bored and wanted it to end. During passing period I turned it all the way up and BAM it was beautiful. I noticed the difference right away so I restarted the album. It’s so smooth. The harmonies are like butter. I feel like I’m being sung a lullaby. It is a very very serene album.
an incredibly serene album. the harmonies are beautifully done. listening to this album was calming and immersive, even with how simple it was! i thoroughly enjoyed listening to this :) the mouth sounds (e.g. clicking, hissing) were an interesting and lovely addition to the singing. it adds another level to the a capella. i really appreciate this diverse recommendation and would love to hear more like it!
This was my first time hearing a full album from Ladysmith Black Mambazo. I have heard many songs from them and I have seen them in concert. "Rain, Rain Beautiful Rain” was the only track that seemed familiar to me. The rest was new, but in the familiar Ladysmith Black Mambazo style. "Unomathemba" was my favorite track and a great way to open the album as the deeper voices began filling in behind the lead vocals. Not a lot stood out from this album, but because I know that I enjoyed this listen, and Ladysmith Black Mambazo are a group that I like, I might be back for a second listen in the future.
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!! Wasn't expecting this! What a pleasant surprise! It's not really in their full power but very clean and light. There should be more African a capella music out there!
O takie picki wlasnie nic nie robilem, powiew swiezosci prosto z afryki, moze tak prosto, bo plyta prawdopodobnie byla nagrywana w tym samym studio co Graceland Paula Simona, nie jest to bez znaczenia, bo tak jak ladysmith black mambazo mial swoj udzial w nagraniach materialow u Simona, tak Simon jest obecny na tym krazku jako osoba odpowiedzialna za produkcje i miedzynarodowy sukces tego zespolu z Ladysmith RPA, Shaka Zulu to 36 minutowy album zawierajacy jedynie wokale, wiec w zachodnim okresleniu gatunku bylby to album a cappella, ale w afryce na taka forme muzyki mowi sie isicathamiya, oznacza on tradycyjna muzyke ludu Zulusow, ktora bialy czlek rozpozna zwlaszcza po klikaczowych dzwiekach ktore spiewacy potrafia z siebie wydawac, juz wczesniej pojawila sie na liscie podobna pozycja od Pani Miriam Makeba, ktora podeszla do tematu bardziej w stylu muzyki popularnej, natomiast panowie z black mambazo daja bardziej kaplicowego viba, dodatkowo idealnie zbalansowana jest ilosc utworow w jezyku angielskim i zulu, czlowiek slucha czegos z czego slowa nie rozumie zeby plynnie przejsc do czegos rownie egzotycznego, ale juz z slowami ktore potrafi rozszyfrowac, rownie ciekawe jest jak jeden sukces potrafi zbudowac inny, gdyby pana Simona nigdy nie wywialo do afryki i akurat do tamtych rejonow, to o kapeli pewnie nikt poza rodzinnym krajem sie nie dowiedzial, a tak po sukcesie gracelanda udalo im sie sprzedac tak unikalne brzmienie szerszemu gronu sluchaczy i prawie 40 lat pozniej zespol nadal funkcjonuje, prowadzi fundacje majaca promowac kulture i muzyke zulu i nadal jest sluchany, jak nawet na urodzinach u krolowej z buckingham grali w 2k18, z 10 kawalkow na plejke rzuce po jednym z obu jezykow, zulusowm pickiem bedzie otwierajacy unomathemba, z angielskiego natomiast deszczowy song, zupelnie inne zabarwienie emocjonalne ma deszcz jesli jest spiewany przez kogos z czarnego kontynentu, wiec rain, rain, beautiful rain
Loved this music. Will be exploring more of their catalogue. Had obviously know that Paul Simon worked with a South African group for Graceland but didn't know they had so many albums of their own. 4/5
They are probably the most iconic inclusion on the Graceland album, and what made me fall in love then is on full display here. They demonstrate how little is needed to make beauty and emotion in music.
3.5/5. I don't know what to think of this. I have never listened to anything like this before. It did not sound bad. I didn't necessarily enjoy listening to it, but I also did not dislike listening to it. Interesting stuff for sure.
I know very little about this kind of music, I didn’t dislike it, but didn’t grab me either
Post-colonial coffee shop world music at its best. A lovely peaceful way to start the day, but feels a bit cringey at points.
Way better than I anticipated. Puts you in a meditative frame of mind. Great reverb in the recording. Great intro into worldwide music.
Interesting and invigorating capella record from zulu band. For certain moments, but hard to beat on those specific moments....
Jaahas, mustaa gospelia synkimmästä afrikasta. Meininki on kuin Leijonakuninkaassa. Rentouttavaa musaa, mutta eipä tätä tule varmaan uudestaan kuunneltua.
Very calm, easy listening. Gets a little repetitive after some time, but I can't fault it too much, because I enjoyed listening all the way through.
The weird album indeed. Listened to it stoned, had a jungle book-like half-dream experience.
Without reading about it, I could tell this was the group who accompanied Paul Simon on Graceland. Not understanding the language is both a pro and a con. On the pro side, you focus more on the rhythm, tone, and cadence. On the con side, I mean, what’s Unomathemba? It’s nonsense to me. Some tracks have English translation for the title but still - not that useful. Generally, I’m stitching together prior knowledge and outright stereotypical knowledge to get the feel for this.
Eerst was ik razend enthousiast, maar dat zakte een beetje toen ik de plaat voor de tweede keer ging draaien. Toen was ik gematigd enthousiast :)
Ik vind Graceland van Paul Simon echt een fantastisch album, dus daarom viel dit ook goed. Al is een heel album van dit soort samenzang wel iets té rustgevend :-)
A little too much of all the same. I loved them on Graceland - Homeless and Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes are fantastic. But then this entire album is mostly more of the same. The one track that caught my ear as sounding different was "How Long?" which had a bit of doo wop going on which was fun. Nothing wrong with the album, it was enjoyable to listen to...it just lacked variety.
I enjoyed it, didn't realise these were the bank Paul Simon used for his Graceland album
"But you love Ladysmith Black Mambazo!" Indeed a weird band to love. Fine African music. Bit slow, and made sleepy.
Absolutely gorgeous soundscapes created by this choral group. A treat to listen to. The production is spot on and the sound is crisp and clear enough to appreciate the individual voices within the ensemble. Another listen reveals that though the MUSIC LBM make is undeniably beautiful, the SONGS lack individual character thus that I can not say when one ends and another begins, leaving the experience ultimately lacking. Bottom some fine moments and overall some beautiful music but no great or memorable songs. 3.5 🌟
No lo terminé de escuchar pero la música acapella no me entusiasma demasiado. Me gustó lo significativa que es la existencia de esta banda con respecto al apartheid.
I only had a chance to listen to this once. Beautiful harmonies and they have achieved great success for an African choral group. I enjoyed listening to them in moderation.
Wow this album came out of nowhere. Not what I expected to hear at all. Not to say I didn't enjoy it. I started listening to it in the evening, and finished it this morning, and I have to say I enjoy it a lot more while looking out over some foggy countryside rather than the evening rat-race vibe.. I'm half expecting the sun to come out over the hills because of this album. While I enjoy it, I very much doubt I'll be putting it on again. It's one of those things I appreciate once, but won't feel the need to listen to again. I'm close to rating it a 4 as it is nice and bite-sized at only half an hour and it is just so very different from what I'm used to, but I'm gonna stick with a 3.
I found this album very hard to rate - it veered between strangely beautiful and strangely boring, and while I enjoyed listening I'm not sure how keen I'd be to repeat it. As I feel it could have sat anywhere in the 2-4 range I've gone middle of the road, but this is a 3 I'll definitely be listening to in the future to see if my feelings have changed.
Just a beautiful, calm acapella. I've got nothing more to say besides that, tbh. I wish I know the best mood listen to this again, perhaps a nice vacation morning or something.
I'm not a fan of acapella. I was really dreading listening to this 40-minute album in a language I don't speak and in a genre I don't care for. That being said, this is probably the best acapella album I've ever heard and I didn't hate it. Very chill, surprisingly doesn't get that repetitive and annoying. Made me feel something that isn't on the general list of emotions. Some bizzaro emotion like dorcelessness.
The album was interesting. I did not understand what was being said most of the time but that is alright. I do not think I will listen to the album again but I did not skip any songs and did not feel the need to skip any songs.
the kind of music I feel bad for not enjoying. but a pleasant departure from the normal fare on this list
I listened to this album seven hours ago, and I'm STILL waiting for Paul Simon to start singing.
Like the majority of other world music albums, nice to hear for the first time and learn about it, but nothing more
un album avec un bon fond, ca sonne graceland sans paul simon et les insturments. C'est très bon et relaxant. Je n'ai pas trouvé ca trop long mais ca prend le bon moment pour l'écouter. Cependant, il y a un peu de répétition. 3.5
fully vocal african music reminiscent of lion king esque ambiance, im sure some people find this beautiful but im not one of them
The album was very different from the normal music I listen to it not even close, even so, the lack of instruments wasn’t missed. The start of the album was very strong especially the second track ‘Hello My Baby’ which had a more upbeat backing and vocals. The issue for me was similar tracks in the middle until ‘How Long?’ which was a nice change of space, but after this track, they sounded very similar again. It might be me expecting more as I’m not experienced in Cappella, but the group are talented as shown in the more dynamic track ‘Wawusho Kubani?’ by far the best track on the album, but left me wanting more of the overall album. I might look into some of the newer albums and see if they fulfil a dynamic album that I would be looking for to dive into Cappella.
Well it’s pretty cool and all but let’s be real I’m never listening to this again. Can’t wait to see the average rating to see how many people are lying to themselves.
Musically, it's very powerful. However, in my system for rating, I'd likely not listen to this more than once a year.
Its tö cöökl of laiv. Leppoista kuorottelua, mutta vähän tämä levy on yksiulotteinen sisällön puolesta. Kun oli ekaan kappaleen kuullut, niin oli kuullut jo kaiken. Komean ja jylhän kuuloista, ei siinä mitään. Levylle kiitos käynnistä ja kaikkea hyvää jatkoon.
One of my favourite films involves Michael Caine having a big bloody battle with these individuals
Muito específico isto, não sei se isto não esta aqui por ser música africana ou pela sua qualidade, no geral não posso criticar muito, mas não é algo que queira ouvir. Nota:4/10
Alright this is way different than anything on this list so far. The harmonies are crazy but theres no other instrumentation. Can't give it a high score because I won't return to it.
Dit doet me denken aan Coming to America. Maar verder doet het me vrijwel niets. Een nummer geluisterd en toen had ik het wel gehoord
Unfortunately completely ambivalent, nothing wrong but nothing I'd want to listen to on my own?
I always like hearing different languages and accents in vocals because it can lend different texture to vocals. That said, I can only take so much a cappella.
I admit I didn't hear of this album before. When it started playing, I thought "great, here's an authentic take on Graceland's themes". However, as songs came and song went, I grew tired of the theme; by the end, I couldn't tell one song from the other.
Harriet and Ken are really into this band. - 1 track in and not really my jam so far. Not bad at all, just not something I'd choose to listen to. I made it 4 tracks in and going to stop - not bad music but there sounds like little to no variety in style between songs. They all seem to be sung at the same pitches and style throughout all the songs so far and it really isn't my kind of thing. Would be fine as background music but even whilst working, having it on in the background was noticeably dull.
Nothing personal against this album, acapella/choral stuff has just never been my thing. Extreme props to the performers and recording engineers on this LP - the hint of natural reverb lifts the delivery of this album beyond a recording into an almost hypnotic aural vision.
Afrikanske acapella sange. Lyder egentlig smukt, men bliver meget ensformigt, meget hurtigt
Ovo je simpatično. Mogao bih gledati nekakav film ili pak dokumentarac gdje ovo svira u pozadini. Kroz sve pjesme bar jednom mora proći zvuk paljenja skajpa što netko proizvede - desetka za to.
This album is hard to determine how good it actually is since I don’t really have anything similar to compare it to. Sounds like Graceland which is a classic. But this isn’t Graceland and it’s not Paul Simon. It sounds good but it’s nothing I’d revisit. 4.4/10
I respect a lot the tribal or traditional local music, but I can't stand listening to a whole album. It's boring for me. Sorry.
I didn't enjoy this but I didn't hate it. It's definitely out of my wheelhouse and it's hard to really judge it. I definitely don't have any desire to ever hear it again.
Melkoista tervanjuontia oli selvitä edes kerran läpi levystä. Tältä saattaisi kuulostaa Talking Heads a capellana. Leijonakuninkaan soundtrackilla voisi toimia.
I appreciate the craft and the significance of the music, but I couldn't bring myself to listen to the whole album again. I think i'd enjoy a track here or there, but the album is full of songs that sound very similar to my ear.