Reviews (page 4 of 7)
Sounds lovely, but there's not much light and shade.
Another African album means more joy! This is another artist that I already knew; I have enjoyed one or two of their albums, previously, and this one sounded pretty similar. What impresses me most about their music is probably the precision (and coordination, assuming they are performing as a group) with which they craft vocal harmonies, especially considering the amount of syllables that are included in some of the phrases. Because it's only voices singing in a similar style, there is risk of losing interest, part way, but it is the joy that keeps me engaged throughout
lovely vibe and way to start my day
N ouvi
ta bueno
Straight up the middle. Not a genre I'm really interested in, but I really don't have much to say in the negative. Not for me but not bad.
relaxing once I stopped tweaking, pretty good album. key track would be Yibo Labo
This loses its charm pretty quickly
Light 3
This is beautiful and the multiple-part harmonies are incredibly well done. I have really come to enjoy and appreciate African music, especially after being exposed to more of it by this list. So why don't I like this? I just don't respond favorably to the a cappella format. I respect the talent that goes into it, but I just don't enjoy listening to it.
Not my kind of thing. Sounds lovely as background music however it starts to grate after a time. Deserves to be on the list
I do love me some LBM harmonies the clapping and foot stomping on Wawusho Kuban is such a groove
Sounds impressive and wonderful - but a whole album of this with nothing really dynamically different (something louder or faster, something with instrumentation) falls a bit flat.
I'll admit, while I didn't find this all that interesting, it was still just so soothing that it's hard to criticise that much. And even with much of the album being in Zulu, even though I don't understand a word of it, you can still feel the warmth of the music. I do still feel like being an a capella album it is held back just a bit, the simplistic nature of the genre makes it pretty hard to make it anything that groundbreaking. But it's cool that Paul Simon was so heavily involved in this, and all things considered he did a great job and definitely made this about as well as he could have given the genre and style and all that.
A lot of beautiful harmonies and melodies, but not an album that really grabbed me. 3/5
This is beautiful
I enjoyed this far more then the techno yesterday.
Impressive work but not my cup of tea...
Cool harmonies
I listened to this while out on a sunset walk with Bart & Lyndsie. A very pleasant evening. (I always find it worth noting what’s not on Spotify. LBM recently played in Ojai, I should have gone?) “I HAVE MAGGOTS IN MY SCROOOTUMMM”
This was okay, at times relaxing. I may not listen to it again, scoring is hard sometimes, I'd like to give this a 2.5,2 is too low, so 3 it is.
I feel calm. serenaded by harmonies!
The harmonies are as tight as anything you will ever hear. Absolutely stunning. It does have a tendency to get very repetitive or samey as there is only so much variation you can produce using solely vocals.
Graceland has always been a favorite album of mine and it was a treat to listen more to this band that was featured on it. I love the vocal harmonies. Finding this original album was a struggle in streaming, but it is on YouTube. It is better than the anniversary album version.
Interesting, but maybe a bit samey and felt a little long. low 3/5.
Very earthy, calming music. Nice harmonies. Sounds more meaningful than a lot of western stuff
Like many I was introduced to Ladysmith Black Mambazo as one of the absolute stand out featured artists on Paul Simon's Graceland, one of my all time favourite albums, but had never explored their music very thoroughly beyond that, so seeing this album come up was a very exciting surprise. I do think unfortunately the album suffers somewhat because of the direct comparison it inevitably draws to Graceland and what Simon brought to the project with his song-writing ability, comparably Shaka Zulu does drag a bit over an extended period of listening and the songs do tend to blend together. That isn't to say the music itself is unenjoyable, there is a really unique sound to this record, and to the group's music as a whole that is really unique and honestly very relaxing, I could very easily see myself putting this on as some background music to unwind to. It is very clear why Ladysmith Black Mambazo made the impact that they did on Paul Simon, and on the world as a whole on Graceland, and to hear their sound by themselves on this record is a really enjoyable and special thing. Fav Track: 9 - Rain, Rain, Beautiful Rain Best Three Track Run: 8, 9, 10
Ladysmith Black Mambazo is a fun name to say. I like to say their name as much as possible. We can all thank Paul Simon for bringing the amazing music of Ladysmith Black Mambazo to a wider audience, but this kind of music speaks for itself. Their distinct African style of acappella, known as mbube (see? I learn things every day doing this project), is exactly the type of thing that I absolutely love. Their glorious harmonies are just so nice to listen to. The melodies are upbeat in a way that makes it impossible to be in a bad mood listening to their music. It’s sparse: no instruments, just vocals. But it never feels like anything is missing. On a sunny Sunday afternoon, Ladysmith Black Mambazo is a fantastic soundtrack for walking the dogs in the countryside. Ladysmith Black Mambazo. I just wanted to say the name one more time. 3.5 stars.
This felt like it was included on the list because Paul Simon produced it, and not on its own merit. Not the band's fault so I'll give it a pass and move on to the next album. Eighty-eight more to go...
African. Had to use youtube spotify didnt work
5 / 10 - a capella - wohlklingende Harmonien, sehr beruhigend - wenig abwechslung, weder harmonisch, melodisch, noch rhythmisch Favs: - Ikhaya Lamaqhave
This is the beautiful music borrowed in Graceland. Mellow and uniform good background but hard to listen in whole
Beautiful acapella performance, almost hypnotic. If it gave Nelson Mandela hope it must be decent..
Very pleasant and relaxing throughout
It was strangely soothing and something I do this project for. 3/5
6/10 – Decent
i've heard reference to this album, but never listened. It's warm and calming. I don't hate it.
Nice and mellow. I only know LBM from their work with Paul Simon but I really liked hearing them sans collaboration here. Not sure how often I would come back to it, but definitely would want to at some point. 3.4/5
Pleasant listen. I was clapping along at the end. Nothing to do with the album, but Shaka Zulu the person always makes me think of when a Jeopardy contestant said "Who is Chaka Khan?" to a clue about him
Liked this a lot but not sure how often I would throw some African music in otherwise
It's nice. 3/5.
Fine
Spectacular vocal performances highlight that even if I can't understand the words the sentiment behind the harmonies shines through clearly. THIS is something that should be on a list like this. Pleasantly surprised after an 8 record run of absolute watery shit recommended by the 1001 albumgenerator.
Smooth
70
07/03/2026 It's not really my thing but I appreciate what it is. Spotify listeners: 330.6k
I don't really like this genre that much. Nevertheless, it was quite interesting to listen to this album. It didn't really inspire me. Towards the end, it started to get on my nerves a bit. It's not my taste and I won't listen to it again. 3/5
A good album, I liked Hello My Baby the most.
Este album es un ejemplo de Isicathamiya, genero de musica tipico del pueblo Zulu de Sudafrica. Fue un muy buen change de la musica occidental que hemos escuchado hasta ahora. Es un tipo de musica muy calming. Sin embargo, como no es un genero que escucho mucho, al final del album todo lo escuchaba igual y bajo mi interes por el 3/5
Can you have too much of a nice thing? I think you can, and with this album I did. It’s objectively beautiful to listen to - unadorned, consistently great compositions. But the sound (I cannot comment on the lyrics) comes across saccharine if you listen to it too much, a whole album for example. The effect is that it felt a long 30ish minutes despite being of considerable merit. Something beautiful for a few minutes but not for lengthy listening.
I very much enjoyed this lowkey South African a capella album from Ladysmith Black Mambazo! This isn’t music I typically gravitate towards but it was a great diversion from what I normally listen to and I would listen to this album again soon!
yeah it's not bad
I really wanted to like this but it never arrived where great a capella set should. The group is talented and well produced but there was a lack of progression and hooks in the music that left a bitter taste in my mouth.
I don't have a lot of love for a capella works; I find them a little boring outside of the perfect harmonies. I guess that's the point, though, the harmonies. This is cool mostly because it's not some troop of goofy college kids singing silly songs. I don't understand most of it given that a lot of the songs aren't in English, but the harmonies are, in fact, perfect and the melodies are interesting and build on themselves in a non-traditionally western way. Anyway it's fine. It's still fundamentally a capella.
Sure ain’t as good as the first album.
wasn't made for me and that's okay
you are capitalizing off my love of acapella groups! very chill--the songs all felt a little same-y but that just might be because I'm not used to the genre. Really gorgeous voices.
In. Like it. They're very good & have a large catalog to explore. As with most a cappella tho, it's a lot. This is tasteful & soulful & interesting. But okay already. How about a tight EP rather than a whole entire LP? Still tho it is quite good. Definitely worthy to throw into the random mix.
Really beautiful harmony singing. But a whole album? Language didn’t matter it sounded beautiful. But excessive. These guys should be performing only on presentations kind of things. Annoyed cause I had to listen on YouTube.
Liked the exotic a Cappella. However my Xosa is very limited so did not get the lyrics and music started to sound very samy.
Really surprised with this. Actually really enjoyed it probably a 3.5
Enjoyable. 3.5 stars
Very cool and well-executed but the forms of each song were very similar to eachother and was too repetitive to listen to as an album
Solid
To jest coś nowego dla mnie, ale podobało mi się. Muzyka jest spokojna, relaksująca. Głosy są czarujące, nawet jeśli nie wiem o czym mówią. 3/5
Honestly, this is about as good as A Capella can get. Really makes appreciate those with vocal talent.
Very cool and interesting the ease which with they sing and play is relaxing and makes me want to understand what they are saying. This is a very talented group of musicians. Very different and indeed meritory pf being in this lost
I'd really love to give this album a 4. It maybe deserves even more than that. But at the end of the day, despite the pristine harmonies and relaxing vocals, most of the music is just too repetitive for me to want to come back to. There is no doubt that this album deserves to be on this list though, in fact, the list maybe needs even more albums like this. 3.5 Highlight: Hello My Baby
This was alright. About what I expected
Favorite songs: Unomathemba, King of Kings, Yibo Labo
This album is no longer on Spotify, so I had a heard tone finding it.
I kind of enjoyed this, and appreciated taking in something different to the assortment of mid-to-crap rock albums that I've been dealt with over the last week or so. A South African acapella album, the harmonies here are lucent, impassioned and catchy, even if the language barrier gets in the way. The voices layer on top of one another in a compelling way, giving the songs a degree of depth which belies its lack of instrumentation. I'm not sure how quickly I'll return to this, but I will at some stage.
GOING IN: No strong feelings LISTENED WHILE: morning commute FAMILIARITY: New to me SKIP RATE: Played it straight through REPLAY VALUE: Once was plenty DISCOVERY CURVE: Warmed up nicely ALBUM ARC: Strong start, tailed off VERDICT: Better than expected BODY'S VERDICT: Sitting nicely - Motionless appreciation FAVOURITE TRACK: My Rating: 3.5
Fedt, også okay kedeligt indimellem - god afrikansk vibe
What a lovely album to start the day with. I especially loved the harmonies on “How Long?”
No instruments sounds quite so beautiful as many harmonised voices. Unfortunately the songs didn’t overly interest me and I struggled to differentiate between them.
I am at a total loss as to how I should approach this review and I have been sweating it all day. On the one hand, this is something completely foreign to me in an age where nearly every worldly experience is at my fingertips. On the other hand, I feel wholly unqualified to judge this listening experience as a result of it being curated randomly to me. This record of Ladysmith Black Mambazo, an all-male South African a capella group creates a soft, pure, atmospheric listening experience. There are no instruments. There is no “production” - just the human voice and some foot stomping (at times) to accompany the organic structure of the music. This is so outside of my world that I can’t judge it on anything but my experience which is passive. Does it do what it sets out to do? Yes. Does it scratch some baseline human itch? Yes. Is it particularly memorable for me? No. Is it the best version of what it is? I can’t even begin to determine… primarily because 100% of my listening experience with South African all-male a cappella music is contained in this single album. I appreciate it for what it is and I can say nothing more. As a side note, having to listen to this music be broken up by toilet paper ads on YouTube (because it’s not on Spotify) was distracting.
A little on the boring side, but pleasant enough
This was fine, though I think listening to it at a latitude where it’s dark at 4 in the afternoon in January doesn’t help. Would I listen to it again? Probably not.
Pretty immediately recognized these guys from Graceland. Their harmonies are so so tight. Only problem is, despite being an a cappella person, I can only take so much a cappella music at once.
3.3 It was enjoyable. Not really my usual things, and I'm glad it was only half an hour but it was a peaceful half an hour. It's an interesting style, and hard to dislike. Probably one of two vocal-only albums on this list and it was a lot more enjoyable than Bjorks tbf.
Like many, I'm familiar with this group mostly through Paul Simon's Graceland (and the wonderful exclamation in The Venture Brothers). This was cool, I don't think it's something I could listen to over and over again, but it was definitely cool.
The harmonies are great, but I found myself wishing there was a little more variation in terms of accompaniment; even some percussion. (Note; listened to 2017 "remake", as could not find original)
Kind of a vibe even tho I didn’t understand it
Wouldn’t reach for it but liked it for upbeatish but not distracting gym music.
It was soothing and a bit repetitive, but I didn’t dislike it. I dont see myself revisiting tho
Fun album to have on the list. I'm always for diversity in all forms and the same goes for music! Definitely not used to listening to vocal-only type of music, and it's not the "instrument" I find most interesting. Still, the harmonies are impressive and interesting. Everything is tied together with a nice reverb, which enhances the spiritual feeling I get from this album. Nothing I will listen to much probably, but nice to have heard!
Beautiful stuff from the fellas.
Worthy, with a beauty but dull.
Paul?
Very nice
Beautiful. Not something I would listen to, however, if I'm honest.
This was an enjoyable world album. But after awhile it started to sound the same.
I was really enjoying it, but then I thought it slightly overstayed its welcome?
Paul Simon production can't save this one-note album. A few nice harmonies but LBM always seemed to be too safe to be interesting.
i have a history or hating choir kids since most of choir kids i have engaged with are fucking annoying. but my moot (i personally hear myself reading that in a borat accent) is a choir kid and was in the school a cappella club during high school. but anyway im a theatre kid turned stagehand but the flair persists, so i think i shouldnt be hating on choir kids, as the outsiders may percieve them and theatre kids as similarly annoying. and my moot's one of the best person i ever met online. and also on a prior conversation, he said that he likes paul simon, who happens to produce the album. enough ranting. honestly this is kinda mid? like cultrual differences and stuffs makes me not that being able to like this album, but the harmonies are sometimes nice. like everything just floats by without leaving any impression to me. i might like graceland more despite all these claims of cultrual appropriation. gonna forward it to my moot and ask what he thinks. 3/5
it was so nice to get something completely different today, enjoyed listening to this in the afternoon sun 3.5
Random thoughts: * I'm familiar with Ladysmith from both Paul Simon and my appreciation of music class in college. * This is quite fun to listen to and is a huge change of pace. * It is so unique it is hard to rate against more pop and rock offerings on this list of albums. * I would like to revisit this again and hopefully this reminds me to.
I’d heard the name Ladysmith Black Mambazo, but I couldn’t remember where or why I knew I recognized the name. Then my good, reliable friend, the internet, told me they were a South African male choir who sang on the Graceland album by Paul Simon. Talk about an album you need to hear before you die. Well, I think Shaka Zulu is another album to hear before you die. As soon as the first note hit, I knew I was going to like this album. It’s hard to explain, but this album gives you a bit of understanding of how most American music came from the music of Africans who were brought to this country as slaves. It’s very spiritual, it just has a feeling about it. You can see where gospel music came from and the blues, jazz, even rock and roll. The album is purely a capella, no instruments that I can hear, which for me is hard to do. I’m not a big a cappella fan, but this album is a joy to listen to. To me, most a cappella sounds bland, but this has soul and is like no a cappella I’ve heard before. Wikipedia said that this was probably the group’s most commercially accessible record, though the songs were just re-recorded versions of their older “hits.” It also helps that this album came out after Graceland, in which the group made themselves known to a world of new fans. The album was produced by Paul Simon, explaining the more commercially accessible sound. Usually, I do some work at my desk as I listen to these albums for the first time. With Shaka Zulu, many times I stopped just to sit and listen. It seemed every few minutes I heard something that caught my fancy. Things like tongue clicking, a nice bass sound, and an interesting melody. Just an amazing album. Now, all that being said, will I be listening to this non-stop for the rest of time? Probably not. Though it is a good album to sit with and relax. I think this is an album worth hearing before you die because I’d wager you haven't heard much music more interesting than Ladysmith Black Mambazo.
Glad this was included because they have a very unique sound. Very hypnotic to listen to but I don’t find myself wanting to come back to it much yet.
Biting my tongue to try and not make fun of white South Africans in this review, so I will keep this short. Yeah, everyone in this are beautifully talented - but I got the gist of this real quick. I get it boys, you harmonise and hum a lot. That's about the whole extent of this thing. I guess I just generally don't like music from South Africa. But this is at least tolerable, Afrikaans music sucks even worse.
Beautiful vocals, but quite repetitive. Probably great reading music for whenever you decide to dig into your copy of the bible. Making the second track the highlight for me cause it reminded me of the theme song for Swords & Sandals II: Gladiators, the greatest flash game of all time. Highlights: Hello My Baby
A bit too chill
These guys can sing their asses off and have some beautiful harmonies. That being said, I don't know that I "enjoy" listening to this album. I don't feel I have the proper context to evaluate it fairly. I basically never listen to acapella choral music and, thus, have no frame of reference.
Glad I heard it once because of how unit is but not something that I would ever seek out on my own.
Graceland? Nice.
I think this is the group that played on Graceland with Paul Simon.
Different but in a good way.
A nice relaxing album
This album is from a South African men’s a cappella group, who became popular here after Paul Simon featured them on his Graceland album. A few of the tracks are done in English. The music has a gospel vibe to it, and is easy to listen to.
These guys came to USC when I was there! I had never heard of them so it was a real surprise to find out they were actually famous after the fact. Anyway, I'm not gonna be mad at Zulu acapella (or technically, isicathamiya, which is a little more overlap heavy I think), but I also have no idea what they're singing about (though, probably religious stuff if Jesu means what I think it does) and I don't have time to investigate, so there's a certain non-English ceiling. If it's anything like the English lyrics, maybe that's for the best. Well, I say, that, but, Highlight: when "hello my baby" and "i love my baby" merge into sounding the same as they're repeated enough (like my childhood favorite "it's eleven men/eleven minutes") :)
No było to relaksujące i przyjemne, ale bardzo monotonne i nie odczuwałam, żeby było na wysokim muzycznym poziomie. Jako ciekawostka owszem. Ale żeby tego słuchać regularnie? 5/10
Best Song: Ikhaya Lamaqhawe. I don't know what I liked most about this song, beyond the tone and emotion of the lead singer. Worst Song: Rain, Rain, Beautiful Rain. I liked the chorus, but the verses felt too much like a children's song. Overall: Their voices are great, but there is a certain "softness" that starts to feel grating after a point. I get that the a capella is half the point, but it did feel like they would be really benefitted by some backing music.
Great harmonies.
Day694 - it’s hard to hear this without thinking about graceland.
There's few better sounds in the world than this band. However the songs aren't as good as the performance
5/10
Nothing I would listen to purposefully but it was alright
I'm no expert on African music; I think I know the basic differences between mbube and isicathamiya, but don't ask me a) to give any definitive thoughts on them or b) how to pronounce them. I *do* know that, in my pretty limited forays outside "Western" genres, African music tends to hit me on a more emotional level than music from other countries/regions. There are moments on this record where the beauty of LBM's voices really resonate with me, and I find it to be a pleasant listen on the whole. That said, I don't foresee it being an album that I return to on any regular basis, and I would be lying if I said that, despite my genuine enjoyment, it has sparked a flame in me to immediately dive deeper into this style of music. 3/5
Cool harmonies. Likely won't revisit but respect it from a distance. It says something that this is on the list likely because Paul Simon opened them up to a larger audience and not because, y'know, people who aren't white make music too and it's frequently not co-signed by legends.
Good to see some more diverse music on the list and whilst I have heard of Ladysmith Black Mambazo and listened to Graceland, I’d never previously listened to one of their albums. It’s unlikely I’d choose to revisit but it’s a perfectly good listen and it’s easy to understand why people like this and why it was included on the list.
This was a really nice album that I don’t want to hear in its entirety again. They have an incredible grasp on harmonizing and arranging, but so much of the songs start to sound the same after a while. Also, every so often there was a mouth noise that just kind of skeeved me out. Don’t take any of this as too harsh of criticism, it’s a great A Cappella album, it just wears your patience down too.
Beautiful a cappella singing, and really distinctive. Highly recommend seeing them live -- but after 30 minutes, it's all the same. Same for this album.
Really peaceful and nice listen. Can't say I noticed anything besides just vicing with it.
Hypnotic. Oh it's the group that worked with Paul Simon. Very nice. Would benefit from some more variety.
No objections from me on this one. While I don't gravitate towards this type and style of music on a regular basis, I enjoyed it nonetheless. The acapella harmonies are incredible.
Man, there's something so satisfying about acapella harmonies like this. Such an enjoyable listen.
Great a cappella vocals
++: Golgotha, King of Kings, How Long?, Yibo Labo, Rain, Rain, Beautiful Rain, Wawusho Kubani? +: Unomathemba, Hello My Baby, Lomhlaba Kawunoni, Ikhaya Lamaqhawe 7,0/10
Unomathemba - 4/5 Hello My Baby - 3/5 At Golgotha - 4/5 King of Kings - 4/5 The Earth Is Never Satisfied - 4/5 How Long? - 3/5 Home of the Heroes - 4/5 These Are the Guys - 2/5 Rain, Rain, Beautiful Rain - 3/5 Who Were You Talking To? - 3/5 Average score: 3.4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️
It’s ok man
I was grooving to this!
Don’t generally care for African music, but this was pretty decent.
Made me want to watch Coming To America
Solid enough.
~this album was not available on Spotify so this review is for their album Imbongi~ The chants did have a mesmerizing sound but there was just something missing to really set it apart.
Very chill
Fun, but most songs start sounding the same after awhile.
I’ve never listened to this group outside of Paul Simon’s Graceland. Shocked to see that they formed in 1960.
Interesting addition, like the vibe, but not an acapella fan and the sound tends to be too samey across songs
I like a cappela music, so this was a fun listen. There is so much going on culturally and historically in this album, it's hard to talk about it all.
I very much appreciate what they do. Their introduction to the world by Paul Simon felt like a little miracle at the time. Such subtle and beautiful sounds. A whole album all feels a little samey-samey for me. It’s a nice bonus when they show up somewhere else. A single song - wonderful. A whole album - hard to be excited or engaged by it for the full 45 minutes of the 30th anniversary version that was available to me on streaming. I think there was only one additional track, so basically the same as the original.
Great Songs: Good Songs: Lomhlaba Kawunoni (The Earth Never Gets Fat), Rain, Rain, Beautiful Rain Mid Songs: Unomathemba, Hello My Baby, Golgotha, How Long?, Ikhaya Lamaqhawa (Home of the Heroes), Yibo Labo (These Are The Guys), Wawusho Kubani? (Who Were You Talking To?) Bad Songs:
There’s certainly talent in blending all these voices together. But I couldn’t get into it. 5/10
interesting album, can't get into it when I don't understand lyrics
Great drum fills
Hello My Baby is adorable with the kiss sounds. Really pleasant album and loved hearing songs with clicks.
Many years from now (hopefully), lying on my deathbed, listening to my 1001 albums playlist, after confusedly asking the nurse who The Thrills and Flamin' Groovies were, something from this album will come on. I'll settle back in bed, smile and in that moment be genuinely happy. A worthy entry into the '1001 Albums to Listen to While You Die' list. Wait...that isn't what we are doing? Anyway, thanks for feeding me something different, generator!
- this is the first instance of non-western music this project has given me, which is fun, and I hope there are more albums like this included in the list - my first exposure to this group was from the movie Mean Girls, when the mom says "but you love Ladysmith Black Mambazo!" when the main character (who grew up in Africa and only recently moved to the US) declines to go with her parents to a concert so she can hold a wild house party instead. at the time, I assumed it was a single woman, so learning it was a men's chorus instead was delightful - the live version from KEXP on YouTube is a better way to understand this group, I think. the Wikipedia page said that the name of this vocal tradition means something like "walking softly" or "stepping lightly," which is partly due to the soft sound of their voices but also refers to some light steps or dancing that takes place, so I wanted to find a live version to see if it was a different experience than just listening. I didn't notice any real "dancing" (maybe some arm movements from the soloist), but I think seeing them actually sing together is the better context - the background vocals almost sound like waves lapping on a shore (especially in tracks like "Wawusho Kubani") in that they swell and recede over and over again, coming up and then almost fading away - I like that the solo vocalists never have overly stylized voices. the solo parts are emphasized and accent the choral parts, but the singers never have super strong voices that are meant to be the highlight, unlike in gospel music from the US. everyone feels more or less equal; it's just who's at the microphone filling in the spaces the chorus doesn't take up overall, a pleasant listen. they all started to sound the same after a while and everything is mostly variations around a single chord, but I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing
Solid. Not really a huge fan of acappella music, but this was just nice and calm and kinda meditative. Everything kinda blended together, but two that stood out were How Long and Rain, Rain, Beautiful Rain. Probably won't revisit this one much but I'm glad I checked it out and might throw it on again for the vibes sometime. 6/10, 3 stars.
Cool album but it’s a lot in one sitting.
I was very impressed by this album and it’s something I’m probably going to listen to again from harmonising your vocals to a majority acappella throughout the album with something fresh and new one at the end really nice. Would give it a four but I need to be stricter with stars as it’ll mean it’s on the same band as Stanktonia
cool acappella
Did not find all the songs. Very good music from what was on spotify
Influents en la world music però escoltant dues cançons n'hi ha suficient.
Beautiful, nuanced singing. Calming. Can be a bit monotonous and could be more dynamic and exploratory
3,2
Chilled
Exceeded expectations
Музыка: 7/10 Разнообразие: 4/10 Тематика и вайб: 7/10 Цепляемость (отдельные песни зашли): 4/10 Реиграбельность (можно ли рандомно врубить на фон): 7/10 Итог: 5.8
Originally Paul Simon’s band, they were frustrated that they only got to play the intro to all of his songs and always back stage. That was until they joined Len Houmous on one of his famous LSD trips. It gave them the confidence to not only split away and do their own thing but also to really focus on those harmonies. 2.6 9/10 - Rain, Rain, Beautiful Rain
This record is at its best when the group is providing unique perspectives on Folk songs and political events; however, covers of American gospel songs and attitudes are scattered throughout and while not a bad thing seem to distract from the otherwise profound nature of the record
As much as I've heard LBM I've never been able to sink my teeth into their music. Obviously, it's fantastic stuff but lacks an edge I need to love what I'm listening to.
this was very very pleasant. I enjoyed this very much.
Boring, not my thing
7/10
This is an impeccable album and the 36min runtime is exactly the right length. I didn’t enjoy this as much as I did Youssou N’Dour, but that’s just my personal taste.
73% Best: Hello Pretty Girl; Golgotha; Rain, Rain, Beautiful Rain Must-Hear? Not quite. The album is very decent. I can't really justify listening to a full album of this style, but it is very well put together and sounds nice.
kinda sick
Really pleasant. Loved the harmonies and recording quality
pretty cool Will I listen to again: 2%
Kind of a vibe. New genre of music for me
One of those perfectly pleasant jolly albums that there’s nothing to hate but no reason at all to listen to.
This is some beautiful music. Only previous exposure to LBM was through some of Paul Simon's Graceland and this can stand on its own too. Would probably be even more prolific if I could understand the language but an enjoyable listen. Unsure if/when I'll listen again though. 6.5/10 (3.25/5)
Really good album and you can see where Paul Simon and the talking heads got there special singers from.
This was fine, I'm not a big Acapella person especially for an entire album.
A very interesting album that did not hold my attention throughout. Much preferred the collaboration of Ladysmith and Paul Simon. Incredible talent that failed to stir.
Very good work background. African tribal chanting; very melodious.
Great harmonies. Glad I got to listen to this. It’s outside of my traditional listening genres.
This makes me feel like a middle aged white woman who shops at Anthropologie
Something that would have never come across my radar otherwise. This was really pleasant and calming. Audio version of a laying outside on a sunny day basking in the suns warmth.
mi piace
Honestly this was just really quite boring without Paul Simon doing something on top of it... that's the sad colonial truth for me. 2.6/5
Truly beautiful voices, individually and collectively. They must have been amazing to see and hear performing in a location with great acoustics, a church or something. There's such warmth and humanity. It's no surprise Paul Simon was drawn to them. In some ways it's sad that they are best known for Graceland but he brought them to the attention of the world. Lovely.
Liked the vocal harmonies. Good to listen to something I never normally would have before. The a capella style was cool but some instrumentation would’ve elevated it.
It my thing but Rain Rain Beautiful Rain is cool
Beautiful production, but not something I would ever just pop on and listen to.
Interesting but only a couple of songs that connected for me.
That's not my taste in music - But ok
Good album.
Great harmony and vocals. Not my vibe
This album reminded me of the Lion King. It was beautiful.
Stars for being different from the dad rock that we normally get. That said, I was hoping to like this a lot more than I actually did. It was a bit boring.
Presented by Paul Simon's savoir complex
The vocal group that featured on Paul Simon’s Graceland. Has a lovely chanting feel to the music. Quite different to the western music I’m used to, but still a very pleasant sound.
Not sure how to rate this one. Good for what it is but not something I really enjoy listening to?
Ladysmith Black Mambazo Shaka Zulu I know almost nothing about them. Were they the inspiration for Paul Simon’s Graceland? Maybe the backing band? Unomathemba- it will be interesting to see what I can pick up from this album- jazz and classical don't have lyrics at all, but if their are lyrics, should I know what they mean? Hello My Baby- the title is in the chant, but I am still working on the lead singer; is this an a capella? Golgotha- for some reason I thought there was a more instrumental element to their music, but it is still beautiful King of Kings- is there a difference Lomhlaba Kawunoni How Long? Ikhaya Lamaqhawe (Home Of The Heroes) Yibo Labo (These Are The Guys) Rain, Rain, Beautiful Rain Wawusho Kubani? (Who Were You Talking To?) This Little Light of Mine- the most iconic Sunday School song is given a beautiful gravity and maturity, while still being perfect for children After listening: so many beautiful voices- I'm not sure this is "got a long drive in the car" music, but it could be perfect for 10PM and reading a book. I think the whole thing is a capella, which is not normally a thing I enjoy. Probably 3.5 stars, but four stars is more for albums I will buy.
We enjoyed this one. Quite chilled and easy listening.
Very sweet and unique sound, definitely deserves its place on this list
A very pretty record; their voices are so rich, sometimes raspy achey, sometimes soaring, plus the interlocking parts of many of the songs are kind of amazing. Really good, if not great.
Had a bunch of editing to do. This matched my mood perfectly. Always had listened to Ladysmith on the perimeter, but never a deep dive. Had great appreciation for this album, but probably will not revisit anytime soon.
There were some moments when I got really into this, but other times I lost the plot. That might be partly a lack of cultural context on my part.
I liked the authentic sound of this.
favorites: How Long
A 3*, so I can't be accused of being racist.
W sumie całkiem ciekawe, ale nie wiem czy na całą płytę. Powtarzające się po pewnym czasie, ale na pewno warte wysłuchania przynajmniej kilku utworów. 3/5
Listened through Spotify, so I got a 30th Anniversary version. The music is simply beautiful, but because it's in a foreign language, it's hard to pick out where one song stops and the next one starts. I'm not hooked, but it's good background music. As long as the Xhosa clicks don't throw you off, because you're going to hear them. Does it belong on the list: Maybe not. I could have lived my life not hearing it. Am I glad it's on the list: Absolutely. My Rating: 3/5
vibey
A welcome first listen; I enjoyed it and will hopefully look at more of their work. I was generally less impressed with the English speaking tracks in contrast to the Zulu tracks. Two a cappella albums in two days?
actually really interesting.... not my typical thing, but very nice. hard to find the actual album!
Great harmonies but not my thing
Like everyone else, I really liked their contributions to Paul Simon’s Graceland album. However, by themselves I am not as much of a fan. I put this music on in the background while I worked - not disturbing, occasionally noticing a few seconds that stood out positively. And I think that's both good and bad in that it kind of all blends together. For me, a vocal album where I can’t understand the lyrics becomes beautiful ambient noise. 3⭐️
3/5
I really wanted to like this more than I did, but ultimately it was too samesy for it to be worth a full album for me. It is really beautiful and at times the trance can absolutely overwhelm. But long stretches of this really get stuck in the trenches of the a cappella gimmick of the album. It is, admittedly, outstandingly produced. So shoutout to Paul Simon. Hard for me to pick a standout, so I'll settle somewhere between Unomathemba and Hello My Baby, depending on which language I want to listen to.
king of kings was a jam
I like harmony but it felt overused
Enjoyed the different language, tempo & overall sound. Very relaxing 3.5
2.5/5. Beautiful music, but not an album I'd put on and listen to.all the way through.
but you LOVE ladysmith black mambazo!!
This album was a follow up to Paul Simon’s Graceland, and it really shines a light on Ladysmith Black Mambazo’s South African roots. They were a huge part of what gave Graceland its rich cultural feel, and here, they get to showcase that influence in its purest form. The album is entirely vocal, with intricate harmonies and call and response patterns that bring out a deep sense of spirituality and cultural pride. Paul Simon contributed to the production, keeping the focus on the purity of the vocals and harmony driven arrangements.
Pleasant, calm
Nice and calming…maybe slightly samey
Good bath tunes
This album is not my cup of tea. I can see why someone would, but I'm not that someone.
OK 2.8
Kind of calming and kind of boring, so it evens out
sympatoche, sans plus, bonne musique d'ambiance
ok well I got to hear wasnt bad 3/5
2.5
I kinda like this as a certain curio with their connection to Paul Simon's Graceland. But honestly it gets rather Sammy and boring as the album goes along even though I enjoy the sound. All in all I can't see myself ever returning to this, unless I listen to it in conjunction with Graceland itself. Even in that I probably wouldn't make it through the album just slightly snoozy for me 6.6/10 ★★★
Nice, but a bit repetitive in the long run, being a capella. 3 stars
This is nice, but I think there's a cap on my enjoyment of an a capella vocal group. I was into it the first couple tracks, but it definitely got pretty samey after a while and felt longer than it's 36 minute run time. 3 stars.
An album that is both difficult to hate but difficult to absolutely love. The a cappella is done very well and creates a lot of depth to the point were I often didn’t even realize instrumentation was missing, but inevitably leads to many songs sounding similar. 5/10
I don't mind this being on the list at all. Sounds good enough, but I don't remember any of the songs.
It was ok. Not my style.
It gave me "The Lion King" vibes, and this is definitely South Africa's female version of Boyz II Men. I just wish it had more music. Favorite Track: "Yibo Labo".
The talent it takes to sing acapella for a full album cannot be ignored even if the music isn’t necessarily my cup of tea.
I really enjoyed their contributions to Paul Simon's Graceland album, and this was also quite enjoyable. Not something I'd listen to every day, but you can hear the talent and how it influenced certain artists. This is another case where I wish I could give a half star rating and give this a 3.5, but this just isn't quite as strong as the albums I've rated a 4, so I have to round down. Still good though, and definitely think it's something people should listen to at least once before they die.
Not something I would have ever listened to on my own. Glad I did
Lowkey
Isicathamiya seems to be a soft a capella with rich harmonies which stays repetitive.
Yes, intereseting a 3.5! Would listen again.
6.5/10
Decent but wouldn't listen to it all the time. Still glad I was exposed to it. Not totally my thing but I appreciated it.
Pleasant and massively impressive a capella album. I confess to involuntarily feeling like I was constantly waiting for the songs to start so can't rate higher than a 3, but that does sound like a me-problem
Good world music album. Probably only know about them because of Graceland. I like this but probably wouldn’t think to listen to it. I think the harmonies are excellent.
I’m ok with this. Helps that Paul Simon isn’t ruining it, even though I keep expecting his sad excuse for afrobeat to drop in at any moment. I think what’s on Apple Music is actually a re-recording of it, but it’s pleasant.
carino ma tutte le canzonii sembravano uguali
Nice
I enjoyed this, but I still think their best work was still their collaboration with Kermit T. Frog, which sadly didn't stretch to a full album.
bonito
It's funny how something that sounds really interesting for a few minutes can become less so after 20 and then tiresome at the 40 min mark. I feel 2 is too low but quite 3 either. What do do.
This would be very cool to see live. But as a record it’s too much for me to hang into for the duration of a whole record just listening.
Løvernes Konge Broadway Soundtrack-core. Lyder meget hyggeligt, ikke lige noget jeg sætter på
52/100. Shaka Zulu by Ladysmith Black Mambazo is an alright listen, with the vocals being the standout element that barely keeps it engaging. While the harmonies are beautiful, the album feels monotone and repetitive, lacking instrumental variety to break things up. A switch-up here and there could have made it more dynamic, but as it stands, it feels a bit dull
Just listened to early tracks. A lovely, calming sound. Will come back to this.
I’m not going to say I loved this. But there were moments I locked in. The vocals and music almost cast a magic spell. Ultimately I doubt I’ll come back to this but wouldn’t be mad if I did. 3/5
Not my scene but I respect the effort it must take
This was nice for the workday
Nice sound.
Interesting but I'm not really an a cappella fan. Their voices are beautiful
this was nice. Did blend together a bit and got stuck a little cause it sometimes sounds like background music. Overall though, I enjoyed this!
Nice sound to all their albums
African acapella... Nice!
can't even to half the songs on spotify. so ill assume its a 3
3.5 - beautiful vocal performance
It's beautiful music. Not my vibe but I did enjoy it's quality. Don't know if I'll ever listen to it again but at least I know it's out there.
I actually kinda liked this album. Very calming. It sounds like the music playing in the back of a Civilization game
Very calming album
Cool stuff
Incomplete. N/A. Sounds nice and I want more African music in my life, but need to hear more.
01) Unomathemba - 7,5 02) Hello My Baby - 7,5 03) Golgotha - 7,0 04) King of Kings - 7,0 05) Lomhlaba Kawunoni - 7,0 06) How Long? - 7,0 07) Ikhaya Lamaqhawe - 7,5 08) Yibo Labo - 7,0 09) Rain, Rain Beautiful Rain - 7,5 10) Wawusho Kubani? - 6,5 TOTAL: 7,15 (72/100) Current ranking: 266/459
Very beautiful voice, amazing acapella, pretty much like African gospel music. but probably not going to listen to again
I’m surprised that I liked this as much as I did. I’m rarely into acapella music, and don’t listen to any world music. This was somehow very calming
Molto particolare, molto rilassante, ma non sono riuscita ad ascoltarlo tutto.. per il pisolino è molto carino
This is not my musical jam but I'm not gonna discount the talent
It's cool
Was skeptical going into this since I like loud, layered, complex music and a cappella is pretty much the antithesis of that. But this album turned out to be just... nice. It's easy to listen to, and I had no problem getting through it despite this kind of music being completely outside of my interests. But aside from being exceptionally accessible, there's nothing to praise this album for. It's too monotonous and not exciting. There's not a single song of even part of a song that stands out. This is nice background music, but it can't stand on its own.
3.5★. Nice harmonies, but very repetitive. Still, it’s a pleasant repetition - like attending a beautiful church service that you can zone out to.
Pleasant.
Good album.
5/10
Good
A good to fall asleep by the campfire
interesting but not for a whole album
Peaceful and calm. 3/5
3/5
det här är kul faktikst. lite långtråkigt och same same men det är rätt coolt.
3/5
I've seen this band live a few times-- they came and did a show for my elementary school in the 1980s! I found then as now that the music is beautiful and comforting but not something I would generally reach for.
schön aber nit so mei musik
World music Good Interesting 3 or so
I can picture Julia Louis-Dreyfuss' character in Christmas Vacation listening to this
7/10
This is good, I guess? I don't listen to this type of music often so I have no idea what the general quality range is. I thought it was fine
It was ok
To be fair I do quite like this. Guesting with Paul Simon on Gracelandbrought them to into the worlds gaze and I do possess an album by them, but not this one. It's nothing to write home about, but it's OK. Think it just about scrapes a 3
A really beautiful listen. I can appreciate this enough for a solid 3 without really loving it enough to add to my collection.
I was digging it, but only 3 of the 10 songs were available on Spotify?
I struggle to rate this because I do find it very interesting but I'm also not sure when I would listen to it again. The tracks tend to run together, but it's calming and peaceful, so let's call it ** 1/2 and round up. Favorite track: Unomathemba