Shaka Zulu

Other than the fact Shaka Zulu can't be found on Spotify, I have no complaints. I enjoyed this as much as I enjoyed Paul Simon's Graceland (which is where Ladysmith Black Mambazo came into the public eye) and it was a very pleasant sounding album. I tend to not like vocals-only music, mostly because Pentatonix has ruined it for me by sucking all the soul out of songs. I don't always know what they are saying but the songs are good and the vocals are impeccable. The tracks I enjoyed the most are: Unomathemba Hello my Baby Lomhlaba Kawunoni How Long Yibo Labo Rain, Rain, Beautiful Rain Wawusho Kubani I am glad I was exposed to this one.

i didn’t like this very much at all. just not what i enjoy listening to really

Cuando vi la portada, me esperaba algo similar a Penny Penny. Cuando oí la primera, pensé que me iba a empezar a gustar cuando cogiese el ritmo. No lo cogió durante las otras nueve canciones. Muy decepcionante. Aún así, mejor que los Beatles.

This kind of vocal/acapella music is really not my favour.

Their music is so beautiful. The only thing that knocks it down a bit for me is that the songs start to blur together for me after awhile.

This is why I'm still doing this challenge. Please, less hard rock and UK punk from the 70s and more of hidden gems like this one. Yeah its repetitive, but its truly an outstanding piece of music from a far away culture. I play it to my newborn to make him fall asleep, it's perfect!

The human voice is truly one of the most wonderful instruments, and the talent of the a capella singers here is a wonderful example of how much power the voice can have. Favorite track: "Golgotha"

3.5 - beautiful vocal performance

I didn't understand a word, but it got me humming.

Not for me

reminds me of something exotic my grandparents would listen to

Pretty good African music. Reminds me of Lion King. It's pretty good, the band did some work with Paul Simon. I'm guessing that catapulted them to stardom. Great album, very different kind of music. Great harmonies.

Absolutely beautiful singing and maybe the most relaxing album I've come across, now 925+ albums deep. Funny enough, first thing I thought of was the singing at the start of Coming to America. 8/10.

Something about African music is really soothing, you can really feel the passion coming out of all the chants and vocals they put on all these songs

Good music. Thanks for introducing me.

not a big fan, i understand the appeal but its not for me

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

Very pleasantly surprised how much this got me in the feels. Rain, Rain, Beatiful Rain multiple times today. Feels good

Cool stuff

Lord this record is one note. Like literally every single song sounds identical and that may come from me not understanding the language, but tbh I dont give a fuck.

Didn't really like this record. Don't hate it, but don't like it either.

Incomplete. N/A. Sounds nice and I want more African music in my life, but need to hear more.

Can it just be noted that Ted gave this album of lion king sing alongs a 5 and JIMI HENDRIX and LED ZEPPELIN 3s. Just want to make sure we all saw that.

Really amazing listening experience. The entire time I thought I was such an ignorant listener thinking that it sounded like Graceland (my only foothold in African inspired music) and then I read the wiki....

My high school English teacher told us “the best essay is a short, good essay. The worst is a long, bad essay.” This album (if you can call it an album?) is definitely a short, good one. My only complaint is that it’s Too $hort. 5 seconds in I had the same realization many of us probably did – ahhhhhh THIS is who was all over Graceland. Such beautiful harmonies. Of course I never bothered to look up who was backing Paul Simon and just gave him all the credit for discovering/arranging everything. Glad we had this album to highlight these guys. Going to dig around and see what other music of theirs I can find.

Graceland is one of my favorite albums of all time but I’d never heard these tunes, produced by Paul as a follow up. I went back and listened to Diamonds and Homeless today as well, so good. Thinking of this as a B side to Graceland, and 11 bonus minutes of these guys is pretty high ROI.

Excellent music

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

Not my thing

Very cool!!! I loved it!

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

YESSSSS

I didn't know you could show me an album I actually want to hear LESS than Graceland.

Molto particolare, molto rilassante, ma non sono riuscita ad ascoltarlo tutto.. per il pisolino è molto carino

I have enjoyed this album in the past. A nice refresher as it is part of my collection. Very beautiful and moved me. Always fun to hear music/vocals from other cultures as it helps us expand our horizons. Very enjoyable listen for me.

Groupe inconnu. Très original : tous les morceaux sont à capela. Très belles harmonies vocales, mais l'album devient lassant sur 10 morceaux. Je n'y reviendrais pas. =>2/5

Im Plattenladen würde ich vorbeigehen, hier auch.

I love this album so much. The rhythms and the gorgeous vocals I find so soothing and immersive. Very awesome.

This is not my musical jam but I'm not gonna discount the talent

Not my thing.

It's cool

So this isn't my speed. But it's good. The arrangements are all nice and they really use every ounce of the vocal ability that everyone in the group has. That being said it's too one note. If you are someone who is endlessly fascinated with the human voice this will be dense material. For me though, it's too much of one thing no matter how good it technically is. Not bad but no saves and I'll probably never hear this again in my life.

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.

Completely enveloping. No notes.

Interesting, unique, good and something I would have never of heard of without this project. The exact reason why I wanted to do it in the first place. 8/10

LBM is a great group. This was a a good album

I felt like I was at the most accepting and soothing religious service I have ever attended and the weight of the world was being removed from my shoulders.

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

Really lovely and virtuosic, comforting, sounds great.

Pretty sure I've listened to this before since I listened to their most popular work after hearing Paul Simon's Graceland for the first time as an adult. I really like almost everything they put down.

Entendí poco.

Good

This is what I came here from. I wouldn’t normally listen to this sort of music, probably won’t listen again but really enjoyed it

4.1/5

Overall: 2/10 This was one really long "song". There's obviously talent involved in arranging these vocal harmonies but there's nothing interesting going on in my opinion. Fav Song: The Whole Thing Least Fav Song: The Whole Thing

Quite enjoyable

lovely and relaxing

The World Music scene really hit its stride in the 80s. It's a strange genre as it's essentially a catch all term for most kinds of traditional non-Western styles, which is a pretty massive generalization. But for most Western audiences, the category does make sense as a way into different cultures. The backing of more familiar artists, like Paul Simon (who both collaborated with the group and produced this album) helps to make it feel more accessible. Then it's up to the power of the artists themselves to hold our attention. Ladysmith Black Mambazo certainly did manage to make some beautiful with this opportunity. Their harmonizing produces some great sonic depth for these songs. It's also quite refreshing to hear an a cappella album on this list. It might not be one I'd turn to often, but I hope to remember this album one day when I'm craving a change from my usual Spotify rotation.

Very beautiful soothing stunning work. Only reason it doesn’t get 5 stars is that I have a hard time listening to it all at once without getting a little bored. Still awesome and a must listen #60

A good to fall asleep by the campfire

interesting but not for a whole album

Peaceful and calm. 3/5

3/5

This is buttery smooth and honey vocal textures. These guys had an unmistakable tone that I think colors the listening of other groups to western ears. This tone is iconic.

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.

Not sure what it is about this music, but it's eerily reminiscent of some horror movie that I saw... I wish I could remember what it was. I'm trying to place it but can't remember ... Something about school kids singing before a school shooter opens fire and someone running for his / her life scared through a ghetto. Passersby stop and shoot video with their phones and there's burning rubbish amid rundown Toyotas while black people dance. Ugggghhhh.. it's driving me crazy. I know I've heard this before. It's a horror movie, I think ... Found it! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYOjWnS4cMY

I usually read a bit about the album and artist right as I’m starting my listen. I didn’t do that with Ladysmith Black Mambazo. So I didn’t fully know what to expect, and probably made some assumptions, and then was waiting for something that never came. I didn’t know it was a cappella. They use their voices beautifully, but to my ear there didn’t seem to be a lot of variety, and I let it fade into the background as I went ahead with my tasks. It was nice in the background, but I very regretfully at one point thought “a-weema-weh, a-weema-weh” and then dwelled on how that is likely stereotyping and offensive. And then I thought “Omabadee, seemoobadeeyah… send me on my way,” and couldn’t decide if it was worse that I thought of “Lion Sleeps Tonight” or that I thought of Rusted Root. And all this was possible because Ladysmith Black Mambazo didn’t command my attention. Mostly a language thing, and no fault of their own. But I think I listened to this album like an over privileged tourist passing through, not stopping to appreciate or understand the culture. I give myself ⭐️⭐️ for the way I listened. “Shaka Zulu” probably deserves more.

FYI they have an excellent version of baa baa black sheep. Used to listen to them a bit when the kids were little.

These guys were the highlight of Paul Simon’s Graceland. Their a cappella is intoxicatingly beautiful.

4.4 Really liked it, but will I listen to it again, dunno. Will I check out more LBM, probably.

Heard the 30th anniversary reissue, sounds better with then non-English tracks,

schön aber nit so mei musik

One of the best albums in this list. Saved it and I’m going to listen to more of their albums. Perfect background music for work.

BEAUTIFUL

World music Good Interesting 3 or so

I can picture Julia Louis-Dreyfuss' character in Christmas Vacation listening to this

It was nice

This is nice if not a little repetitive. Graceland works better for me because the pop songs break things up

The opening track ‘Unomathemba’ was featured in a Nescafe Gold coffee ad in the late 80s that seemed to be on TV all the time when I was a child. I didn’t know that it was by Ladysmith Black Mambazo until hearing it again today for the first time in like 30 plus years. Look, this album is nicely recorded, and the harmonies and vocals are all beautiful, but it just doesn’t do it for me. There’s other African artists and music that I like and that I would listen to before I would ever listen to this again.

Technically listening to this in the province of the Western Cape, not Kwa-Zulu Natal—really hits nonetheless.

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

Lovely to listen too. Very smooth and unique and cleverly assembled. Not something I would ordinarily listen to but this is a work of art for sure

The only thing I knew about this artist going in was the line to Lindsay Lohan from her mom in the movie Mean Girls when she tells her parents she's not going out with them: "But you love Ladysmith Black Mambazo!" I haven't seen that movie in maybe 20 years or so and never looked into the music but it ended up being exactly what I thought it would be. I didn't hate it. It's just not my thing I guess....

It was ok

I love this music. Reminds me of being in Africa. So delightful. Also oddly fun to run to.

That Paul Simon comment is hilarious and fair. However, there is a reason why he and Peter Gabriel sampled and seemed to understand this tribal-roots music. That is because is hauntingly beautiful and other people needed to be exposed to it. On its own it is immersive and grand. True beauty a cappella.

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'm too culturally separated from this stuff for me to fully appreciate it. They used to be featured on many an occasion in the music press back in the day, but I used to skip over it. So is is any good? I have no idea, as i have nothing to compare it with. But I liked the man who made the funny noises, because I am a child at heart. All I could think about was Paul Simon's Graceland, then I discovered why for obvious reasons. Good to see its not just Bob Geldorf who thinks it doesn't rain in Africa, even the locals sing it, so it must be true. I can't give it a 1, just because I don't understand it, as this could be the pinnacle of Adrican singing, so a 2 star seems fair.

There are some pieces of art that are so transcendent and perfect that it feels unnecessary to over consume them. There’s something special about them, some quality that means you can admire them only a few times in your life, and still feel the need to praise them to high heaven. La Dolce Vita is a great example, and I think Shaka Zulu fits that mould. There’s something so calming about it, I feel like it’d be a great album to write to., and the lyrics I understood all had the quality that I admire in Spingsteen and Chekhov, and admiration for the simple pleasures and minutiae of everyday life, told with a certain weariness, but no less affectionate because of it

I was digging it, but only 3 of the 10 songs were available on Spotify?

My mum had this on vinyl so listening again after 30 ish years I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it

Hey, the really good part of that Paul Simon album. Fun stuff. As I'm only 5 albums away from completing the list, I wish there were more stuff like this. It's just interesting music. There has got to be more like it out there. If the authors could find hundreds of generic boring albums from the UK, they could have at least got them from Africa. That would be interesting. 3.5/5

most of the album wasn't available on Spotify

Very Good,

4/5. This is a very beautiful album, with some grand voices that truly elevate the feeling of gospel. I am not a religious person, but this singing could make me believe. There are some songs that overstay their welcome, and the downside of speaking a different language, makes the experience not quite a masterpiece for me. I'm sure if I knew what they were saying, this could be perfect. Either way, I'm sure this is someone's 5/5 and I would have no notes. A great album to find in here. Best Song: Unomathemba, Hello My Baby, Yibo Labo

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

Such an amazing album - the harmonies are incredible!

Lovely harmonies, loved this band since they collabed with Paul Simon!

Spotify only had 3 songs of the album. What I heard just reminded me of lion king.

africa!

very interesting.

I can understand why this seemed interesting, relevant and a message of hope in 1987 during the apartheid era. In 2014 it leaves me cold. I struggled to get through it. I'll give it a 2, simply on the basis of the fine performances, there's no doubt they are very good at what they do, and the technical quality of the recording.

These dudes used to be on Sesame Street all the time when I was a kid. Loved them then, love them now. Simply beautiful music, absolutely washes over you with an overpowering sense of serenity

Pretty impressive that they can do this a cappella. It's vibey.

Something a little different, a pretty cool with it. An interesting listen

Already didn't care for Acapella, I'm sure I'm missing some context but this album did nothing for me. They sing nice at least.

Soulful and lots of pretty harmonies and I like the anti-apartheid history and Paul Simon link but an album is far too much for me

Nice for a while, a bit samey

A beautiful summery hug. But as the album went on, I kept on hoping that one of those ‘Graceland’ guitars would kick in. Despite having seen LBM live, I think I forgot that it was all a capella. For a few tracks this album is heaven… but I couldn’t sustain the same level of interest for 36 mins. Highlights: The first song

Lovely. Gorgeous vocals. A stunning album that really transported me on my usually dull commute.

I knew of this group from Graceland but never listened to a full album. It’s pleasant, but all relatively similar

Surprisingly not bad. Interesting and good addition to the bri’ish list.

Good addition to the list 3.5

Really enjoyable! Just set it running and fall down a canyon of harmonies.

2 sterne

Cómo un trabajo coral de música africana, debe ser fantástico. Las voces son claras y el ritmo típico. No puedo decir más.

Actually liked this a lot more than i thought i would. Musically different to what I normally listen to but overall enjoyed it

I vaguely remember this was a hot commodity when it came out, mainly because they were an integral part of Paul Simon's "Graceland" sound - it wasn't my thing but I gave it a try. In revisiting it I found it enjoyable and unique compared to the rock, reggae, alternative sounds I typically listen to. You gotta respect the harmonies and the depth of the vocals even if you can't understand much of what they say. It's impressive but I must say it's repetitive for an entire album, not a ton of variation over 46 minutes. I found myself skipping forward on some tracks as I feel like I'd already been there and done that. It would not make my Top 1001 for any reason. Likely impressive to see live but not something I'd throw on to listen to on my own or recommend to others. No hits, not overly influential but they did establish a sound & awareness of South African music worldwide.

Beautiful. Like water flowing over a stone or the wind blowing through tall grass. Enjoyed this. 4/5 Will listen again

Beautiful harmonies. Melodically much of the same. And after 36 minutes it is also enough.

Nah

Didn't listen to the whole thing but what I did hear was pretty good.

not really a fan of accapella and it reminds me too much of graceland which i hate

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.

African acapella. Interesting and I did enjoy it, but a full album was too much. Some instrumentation would’ve helped bump this up a little bit. Not even anything fancy, just a simple drumbeat, maybe a little guitar.

I greatly enjoyed listening to this - all the layers of voices, meshing together to create a warm, auditory tapestry. That said, my untrained ear didn't discern much difference between the tracks. They all sort of melded together into one unified super-song.

The band well known from Graceland.

Great

Like listening to the lion king

This is a lovely album. I see some reviews on this site saying that the singing wasn't in English, but to my ears much of it is. Anyway these are the singers who made Graceland. I'm not sure how much of an international profile they have, presumably since the group was founded in 1960 there is a turnover in members over the years. A nice album, but not something I see myself playing often.

Schön, sehr melodisch, A capella Chor.

Miércoles de escuchar algo completamente desconocido que, por lo que leo en la reseña, responde mucho al momento de mayor auge de la World Music. Con este disco pienso automáticamente en un documental de NatGeo o una película de Disney de esos años. Sin mucho más para decir, me despido hasta mañana jueves.

Enjoyed this - I remember when they came into prominence with Graceland. Fun to hear more from this group.

The only good thing about this album is that i finally know what a decisive 1 looks like

This is a cool album but I don't know that I was in the right mood for this genre of music. This is an album I'll have to come back to later.

African Wise Guys

Not for me.

This was so far outside of what the music I typically listen to it made it difficult to rate/compare. Still found it a pleasant listen.

Absolutely beautiful. Incredible use of the human voice, def worth the listen

Spotify only has three songs, so what I could listen to was limited. I’m not usually a fan of a cappella and this was just not for me. It was relaxing to listen to but did not move me and was a bit boring. 2

pretty boring, but i see what mandela was talking about. good music to fall asleep to

Terrific production and amazing performances. I admit that I struggle to appreciate a cappella music and as good as these songs are it does color my opinion. The group's sound is striking at first but I get lost before the first side ends.

Interesting album, didn’t think it would be an acappella. Not my thing really.

I was blindsided when I heard the first song. Usually not a fan of accapela songs. Instruments are one half of a great song most of the time. I got used to it later on in the album. Turned out the album was pretty good. 3 stars for "Shaka Zulu".

9/30 never even heard of this. Immaculate vibes

I didn't use a private session for Spotify, though Spotify didn't let me listen to the whole album. I think I got a feel for it, not my thing.

I didn't understand most of what was said, but that didn't matter. This is impressive. I wish it had a little more "edge" to it, but enjoyed this regardless.

Very relaxing but sounded the same throughout album

Rally nice, great voices!

Pristinely produced by Paul Simon. However, I found it a bit too soft for my taste.

Relaxing

Such an unbelievable act, great to see them here.

Uhhhh...nice sounding voices. I dunno. Just, not for me I guess

For people who like African folk music. The whole album can get a bit tiring.

Enjoyed!

They are probably great at what they do, but this is not for me.

I love a cappella, so this is starting nicely. Great harmonies and timing. Beautiful album. Yibo Labo is my favorite.

From the very beginning, I am in love. The deep and round harmonies are warm as the African plains. Tight when necessary, this proverbial wisdom set to music still retains a loose whimsy that seems to harken back to the very roots of humankind. There is no need for a track-by-track individual review. Put on Ladysmith Black Mambazo and let them transport you to another world and time.

I want a Lifesaver real bad. No instruments, but who needs instruments when you have voices like this? Brrrrrrrrrrrt!

This album was killer. Nothing at all sounds like Ladysmith Black Mambazo. They always bring a smile to my face. To my knowledge the Xhosa and Zulu are two of the dominant erhnicities in South Africa. Its my understanding also that the Xhosa (along with aboriginal people of Australia) have some of the oldest DNA among homo sapiens in the world. I can't imagine that the Zulu would be too far behind. Listening to this stuff I just imagined that this type of music probably goes back to ancient times and may be some of the oldest musical stylings within music. I dug it all.

not for me

This is the Labçe album we all wanted

This is so cool. Of course I know and love the Paul Simon song featuring them but had never listened to a full album. This is peaceful and harmonic, I could easily listen again.

Wonderful African Acapella.

Crisp and clear acapella voices with lush reverb, beautiful and uplifting tunes, a must listen album.

I wouldn't normally seek out a capella music, but I knew them from Graceland so had some frame of reference. Despite the lack of instruments, I found this really engaging. Some of the vocals they make are so unusual and inventive, it actually often sounds like instruments. The recording quality is fantastic as well. Quite a soothing listen overall.

Lovely singing and harmonising but I did get bored by the third track.

Nice and peaceful

De culturele afstand tot dit album is simpelweg te groot om hem op de juiste manier te waarderen, en schieten de metrics die ik normaal meeneem in een beoordeling gewoonweg te kort. 'Hello My Baby' heeft nog wat ''Westers'', waardoor die wat beter klikt in het geconditioneerde Nederlandse brein. Het meeste sub-Sahara Afrikaanse werk wat we in Europa meekrijgen is toch vaak wel de fusie met Westerse stijlen, zoals jazz, funk en house. Neem bijvoorbeeld Highlife en Afrobeat, twee West Afrikaanse genres die diepgeworteld zijn in Amerikaanse stijlen die over zijn komen vliegen. Daardoor zijn dat twee takken in de muziek van Afrikaanse bodem die veel beter rijmen met wat je al kent, en dus ook makkelijker op te pikken zijn door je receptoren. Of de verscheidene Afrikaanse blues-genres in de Sahel, die muziek van een John Lee Hooker of Lightnin' Hopkins in een Malinees jasje stoken. Dit daarentegen is ras-Afrikaans, en lijkt volledig ontsnapt te zijn aan kruisbestuiving met populaire muziek uit andere continenten. Anders dan dat ik kan zeggen dat het enorm organisch klinkt, en best wel rustgevend is, weet ik niet goed op welke elementen ik dien te letten om het van een eerlijke review te voorzien. Met een 6 kom je eigenlijk altijd wel weg. Het mist dan toch een beetje een climax waar je als Westerling schijnbaar naar op zoek bent. Het lijkt nergens heen te gaan. Misschien doet dat het wel, mja, weet ik veel. 6/10 Highlights: Hello My Baby

Dit was aan het begin best geinig. Prachtige melodieen en de harmonieuze samenzang is erg mooi zacht. Om bij weg te dromen. Dat gebeurde een paar keer waarna ik ontwaakte en realiseerde: 'waar luister ik eigenlijk naar'? Toen was ik er ook echt helemaal klaar mee. Leuk voor in the Lion King of op een Paul Simon album, maar meer is niet nodig hoor. 5/10 Geen highlights, ging allemaal aan een stuk door.

Gorgeous vocal album. Really cool and not something I think I would have otherwise listened to. The kind of album that makes the stinkers in this list worth it.

What an incredible choral sound. Amazing work.

African "Mbube" music. Basically it is a male choir singing a cappella. The delivery is groups of people singing homophonically in rhythmic unison, and they use these layers of singing to create intricate harmonies. Kinda like an "asked and answered" kind of singing. It is fantastic. These guys got their big break when Paul Simon included them in a song (Homeless) on his record, Graceland. Favourite songs: "Rain, Rain, Beautiful Rain", Uomathemba, How Long?, Yibi Labo - These Are The Guys, Lomhlaba Kawunoni - The Earth Never Gets Fat, King of Kings Least favourite songs: none 4/5

All male African Choir from Paul Simon's Graceland

An interesting listening experience. I've never listened to this kind of music before.

This was aite. Not my cup of tea. 'How Long' caught my ears.

Beautiful vocal harmonies. The group’s voices combine for a rich, warm sound. 30+ minutes of a cappella singing is a lot though and I wish there was some percussion or other instrumentation mixed in. The last minutes of the closing track have some foot-stomping and I’m curious why there aren’t a few more inclusions like that. I’m familiar with the group from Paul Simon’s “Graceland” and happy to know they had more success outside of their collaboration with him. If there’s another album of theirs with a full band, I’d love to hear it.

This is a beautiful and at times fun album. I listened to it on the way to the gym and then surprised myself by leaving it on as I warmed up. Usually I listen to more energetic music there but I couldn't turn this off. I really love the percussive vocalizations and various mouth sounds that are used as additional little textures throughout. They really stood out to me and contrasted the pretty and more typical sounding singing. I liked the final track and wanted more like that in there though. 4/5, and a cool album cover too.

Why does this record need to be so hard to get the full stream of? Paul Simon are you messing with Ladysmith Black Mambazo after all these years? A cappella music can be compelling when done well. This record (cobbled together from Spotify and Youtube) sounds convincing. There's also a 30 years revisiting of the record on Spotify which might not have the same spark but gives you a good outline of it too. Not my usual music of choice. I'm not reaching for an a cappella record in ninety-nine out of a hundred listens, but on that one where I'm feeling like something out of my usual habits I might pull this or something like it out.

sie sind hald die vo graceland und ha eigentli scho immer gfunde vlt fändi es album vo ihne no geil. here we are. s isch tatsach huere schön, suuper warme sound hends zeme. joo ich bin sochli zwüsched nöd ganz wüsse wasi söll demit afange unds mega schön finde gad.

CAILLOUPOWER finds sehr funny und auno sehr beruhigend iwie vill dezue z sege hani nöd aber bin froh dass wiedermal es nödwestlichs album debii isch rain, rain hani easy schön gfunde es isch gad würkli perfekt für en mentig morge ja also ebe vill hani nöd dezue z sege aber ich fühl mich es 4i will es isch huere beruhigendi und schöni musig gsi au wenn ich das jz in zuekunft nöd wird 24/7 lose hahaha

2-3

Listening to this album was a joyful experience. I'm not sure how you could listen to this and not smile. The depth of sounds that these guys can produce with only their voices, is amazing. Liked Songs Added: - Unomathemba - Hello My Baby - How Long - Rain, Rain, Beautiful Rain

Neither good nor bad. Just ok world music album

Hilarious to remember this reference from Mean Girls. It was honestly a refreshingly beautiful album! Such a unique sound, original, peaceful, warm. Loved it

I enjoyed this, very relaxing. Amazing that there are no instruments.

Loved the harmonies and vibes on this one 4/5

I like global music, but this was too much. Listen again: no Purchase for my collection: no Favourite Song: all sounded the same

FYI: the 1001 generator page points to a version of this album where most songs are unavailable. The 30th anniversary version has all songs available: https://open.spotify.com/album/5GoqzAwIz3px7nSHXDOb3X Such a pleasant change of pace. I don’t know what they’re saying, but I find it comforting and hopeful. So much beauty in these voices, harmonies, and tones. I need more of this in my life. Easy 5 stars. 5/5 Highlights: Unomathemba Hello My Baby King of Kings Lomhlaba Kawunoni Ikhaya Lamaqhawe This Little Light of Mine

Ironically, I’ve been listening to the Joy for weeks. Good album.

“We sing covers of songs, but we do it without any instruments. It's all from our mouths!” -Pitch Perfect “I thoroughly enjoyed this album.” -me

Fine but not my cup of tea

Pretty good, but it runs a little long at points.

Very cool set of songs. 3.5 stars.

solid vibes

C'est aussi mélodieux que chiant

Ordentliche Afro-Rhythmen, die ein etwas an König der Löwen erinnern und ein bisschen an Urlaub i. Kenia. Richtige Ausreißer nach oben hab ich nicht gefunden.

Uneventful chanting. I have no desire to listen to this album again.

Thought I might enjoy this initially, but the music never went anywhere and stayed in first gear the whole way through. It got very boring very fast.

Enjoyed this. Can’t say I wasn’t disappointed that they didn’t burst into Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes. Which I’m aware is a very white thing to say. Simpsons: Not directly, but there is a Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes joke.

Enjoyed this. But not a high scorer that I'll be coming back to in a hurry.

Not for me. On a positive note it was quite short

I, like Cady Haron, love Ladysmith Black Mambazo. I listened to this in optimal conditions, a pleasant sunny summers evening. Even then it didn’t hit the heights I was hoping for. I still loved it though, the walking baseline in How Long? Was cool and I liked Rain, Rain, Beautiful Rain.

Yeah man, I just don’t like a cappella music.

No va

For 3 songs clocking in at 11 minutes I can find no faults.

there were only a couple of the tracks available on spotify. Usually I'll track the full album down on YouTube but I figured 3 songs was good enough. This is calming, peaceful music that has a place. Just not something I need in large doses

spotify only has 3 of the 10 songs.

South African vocal music. The vocal harmonies are excellent, and that’s 90% of what the album has to offer. The sound is very pleasant and actually quite astonishing. There’s a peace, a beauty, a serenity in this music. It’s calming, it’s soothing. There’s much talent here, but it’s also kind of boring. Maybe that’s my problem…a tendency to enjoy instrumentation or wanting to understand lyrics in a Capella album. Appreciate more than enjoy…Might be nice once in a while but I’ll forget about it by tomorrow.

Gorgeous vocalization. I just love the depth of emotion and harmonization.

Nice album

This feels like an suitable album to mildly appropriate.

Guess it's Afro-pop week. What pop should be--well-recorded, engaging, intriguing. When you don't know what the words mean, you focus on production and sonic engagement. Good. Entrancing.

From 1960s lone South African female singer to 1980s SA choral in succession. Really easy, comforting background music.

As spectacular and (now) iconic and magical as these gentlemen are, a cappella has a 20-minute expiration for me. After that, the magic fades and I'm ready for something else.

Not sure how to rate this. Any individual song was blissful (those harmonies are fire!), but they all sounded the same to my inexperienced ears.

Classic

Masterpiece!

3/5

Outstanding

Immediately recognizable from Paul Simon’s collab. Enjoyable. Not going to be a go to, but glad to have had the reason to listen.

Very nice just not something i want to listen to a whole album of.

Great unique sounds but have heard so much of them and much of their music sounds similar to me. Curious about the books discussion of the “personal psycho-geographies of apartheid buried in the songs.”

Woah. What a great album. It’s so great to step out of traditional western music genres once in a while and appreciate the harmonies and beats in albums like Shaka Zulu. I could definitely put this on a playlist or two

Thought listening to a full album of acapella Zulu chants would get tiresome after a while, but it turns out there were enough interesting variations in the songs to keep me engaged until the very last seconds. Reading the Wikipedia blurb about this project, I found out that a very large part of it comprises new recordings of "hits" the vocal group had sprinkled throughout the many records they had already released in South Africa in the 15 years that preceded this one (if you want to have a little fun, check out the artwork of those albums, it's an endearing festival of kitschy pictures 🙂). So it doesn't come up as a surprise that *Shaka Zulu* is so accessible, because it looks like group leader and songwriter Joseph Shabalala has selected the cream of the cake here (beside the fact that around half of those tunes are sung in English). And it is absolutely not surprising either that those sessions were produced by Paul Simon, who had already used the band's impressive vocal skills on a few cuts from *Graceland*, released the year before. So much for the accusations that Simon bypassed the cultural embargo against apartheid... He was pivotal in getting Ladysmith Black Mambazo--and also Zulu culture at large--become a little more famous outside South African borders. It was *another* smart way to fight apartheid, I guess, even if it felt polemical at the time... Those (admittedly subtle) musical variations I've referred to up there are what makes the album the artistic success that it is, between the cutesy kiss sounds in the chorus of "Hello My Baby", the solemn, evangelical / biblical overtones of "Golgotha" and "King Of Kings", the equally solemn, but also elegiac "Rain, Rain, Beautiful Rain", the wink to old American rock'n'roll basslines at the start of "How Long"--which then mutates into something totally mesmerizing with a 100% African character--, or the hypnotic stomping of feet during the conclusion of closer ""Wawusho Kubani?". Hope there'll be some room left for this record in my own list of 1001 "essential" albums. When you manage to convey so many ideas with such a quote-unquote "restricted" canvas, and when your art is bound to convey political awareness--because of the historical context that presided its birth--that means that you are artists who deserve to be noticed and remembered. 3.5/5 for the purposes of this list, rounded up to 4. 8.5/10 for more general purposes (5+3.5) Number of albums left to review: 100 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 388 Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 227 (including this one -- cultural blindspots and musical conditioning probably explain why I can't put *Shaka Zulu in my own list right away, but I guess that's unavoidable when you're making a subjective list of "essential" records with a finite number of them...) Albums from the list I certainly won't include in mine: 285

enjoyed this a lot more than i was expecting, really cool acapella album

Hard to go wrong with Ladysmith Black Mambazo. Always entertaining.

Very interesting and unique. Hard to rate those because of that. But I enjoyed it.

Lovely music to work to, boring music to listen to.

Great and rich album.

Can't say I was a huge fan

What if you took the BEST part of the BEST Paul Simon album, and you made THAT into its own album?

To call Shaka Zulu beautiful isn't descriptive enough. This a cappella group has some of the most amazing harmonies I've ever heard. Even when I don't understand the lyrics, it doesn't matter, because it's too easy just to focus on the vocals. "This Little Light of Mine" wasn't part of the original track listing but showcases how beautiful their rendition of a well-known American song can be when they only use their voices. What a wonderful inclusion Ladysmith Black Mambazo is.

Ladysmith Black Mambazo are legendary, and it was a real treat to see them included on this project! They may be one of the most well known African groups in the Western world, and certainly the most well known choral African group. Their fame and success gave rise to other groups like them being acknowledged and appreciated by western listeners. And it all started with this album, as it was the first of theirs to gain that level of international success. Their harmonies and vocalizations on this album are outstanding. I find this to be very approachable and easy to listen to as someone who does not understand the cultural significance of this type of music, let alone any of the lyrics. It is the type of album that can be enjoyed both in an active listening mode and in a more relaxed mode. This is a real treat to have on this project -- it was the West's initial window into unadulterated South African music, and it is fitting that this project would be a window into that music and this album for a whole new generation.

Beautiful voices Singing perfect harmonies My subwoofers cry. Nice to listen to. Will I listen again? Maybe as a way to relax. I can’t help but feel this album echoes colonialism. The gospel overtones undercut the beauty of the voices for me. The religioisity of it all as viewed through a Christian lens subtracts from the beauty of the sounds. If the content were otherwise, I could possibly shake the feeling. Overall, not quite my jam, but certainly we’ll done.

Very impressive, has this big time gospel thing of seeming very Professional that lessens the impact for me - I think maybe it's the sound of many restrained singers all with the microphone very close? Is it fair to lay the blame for why this doesn't register entirely on Paul Simon and the Disney Corporation? Yes it is. vampires: hated. (⌐■_■) music: failed to appreciate. ( -_-)

Graceland, without the bad parts (the Paul Simon parts).

Human instrument On full beautiful display Soothing old art form

😍

Nice but not my cup of tea

Beautiful harmonies and a unique record!

Ja leuk

This is so profoundly boring and nothing. I wish my musical tastes knew no boundaries, but they do, and this isn't for me at all.

The singing and harmonies are other worldly. The flavour of something non western is delightful and I enjoyed the hour or two it took for a couple of run throughs. However, I did miss percussion and I found it a bit repetitive and one note after a while.

Good

Enjoyable album, though personally I'm more of a fan of African music with instruments.

Beautiful really. Unfortunately, these songs end up sounding all the same to me. Maybe it’s the language barrier.

It is great to see the development of a unique style and how it is blended across the world with other music.

¡Qué alegría escuchar este disco! me ha parecido una belleza de principio a fin. Me dejó una sensación de calma, de paz. Sobre todo me alegró escuchar Nomathemba, que la conocía de antes gracias a Putumayo.

Great voices of course, but am not sure if I would listen to this album again.

This is impressive for an a capella record.

Had a good time listening to this. The melodies and voices just flow together so well. It was perfect background work music. Not sure how much I would actually listen it other than during a work day or on a solo car trip, but I would definitely use this to springboard into more South African music.

One of the more unique albums on the list. Definitely bias here, but even if it’s fun to sing stuff like this, I’ve never really enjoyed listening to this kinda music. I thought it was fine, but in regards to the list, I didn’t feel anything groundbreaking from it.

Really takes me back to those chorus days. A solid listen, and even with the language barrier I still enjoyed a few of the songs. Glad I listened to it, but probably won’t again.

A very cool changeup with this one! I really liked it. I went back and relistened to a few songs that stood out. I couldn't do an entire genre of it, but it's a great mix up from the plethora of British Rock on this list.

Interesting a cappella album

1. themba - 1 2. king - 1 3. long - 0

It was just kind of the same throughout, but I'll be damned if that vocal choreography wasn't impressive

While I couldn't understand (most of) the lyrics, there was beautiful harmonization of the vocals with engaging music. It got a little repetitive, but again, maybe that is due to not being able to understand the lyrics. Overall enjoyable and exposure to a genre I would have never been exposed to.

Beautiful. I probably won't listen to this often, but I feel better having heard it and knowing it's there.

I guess if you love choral music or pride yourself on eclectic tastes this is a brilliant album. But there's not much entertainment value here for me. It's sort of Graceland without Paul Simon - but hey, it's better than Marilyn Manson. I listened to all of this.

Meh.

I might be outing myself as a philistine but I found this to be utter garbage.

I love this album. I was one of my first ever vinyl purchases!! It’s so beautiful and relaxing, natural and grounded. Each track has the most amazing voices and harmonies. I'm hope they are singing about beautiful things, but I wouldn't know. I listened to it on repeat for a few hours during a pretty intense and stressful situation at work, and it helped keep me totally chilled!

I loved this! We had a Ladysmith Black Mambazo album on high rotation in my youth, but I’m not sure which one it was, I’ll have to track it down! Certainly Paul Simon got lots of airtime so I have a deep fondness for the tracks they collaborated on together. I loved that this album made the list - I wish there was more like it!

Coming to America vibes. I enjoyed it.

nice and short

I love this group’s music. It is smooth and relaxing.

Listened to the 30th anniversary re-recording because that was all I could I find to easily listen to. I knew about Ladysmith Black Mambazo before from Graceland/having hippie parents who listened to a lot of world music so this was about what I expected. Pretty, hypnotic, acapella African gospel music.

African choral music. It took me until the third song to realize, hey there are no instruments, just their voices. It's nice and all, reminds me of the beginning of The Circle of Life from The Lion King. It wouldn't surprise me if these were the people who did that one. It would take a very specific time and place for me to put this on again. Favorite track: Many of the songs sounded the same, but I'll go with Yibo Labo.

It’s OK

This reminded me of the Sesame Street alphabet song by these guys. Amazing stuff. Probably not coming back to it anytime soon but it’s good to have in the back pocket.

Kunnolla erilaista tällä listalla! Kesti pari biisiä ajatella, että tämähän on tosiaan a capellaa. Pidin melodioista ja rytmeistä.

Kaunista ja määrätietoista, mutta jään janoamaan rytmiä.

Extremely enjoyable. Will definitely be in my rotation moving forward.

Iconic!

Amazing vocal melodies. This album instantly transports you to another time and place. It’s like the best parts of Paul Simon’s Graceland album times ten

You don't need to understand the lyrics to resonate with the impact of this one. If you're ready to accept it, this album wants to embrace you with open arms and remind you that there's still some beauty in the world. But where's Paul?! I need my Paul!

Musically, I don’t care for it, but culturally, I appreciate the record for introducing Western listeners to traditional Zulu music and South African culture during a time when the country was still under apartheid rule.

There's a clear backstory to every non-anglo-centric album on this list; the author's decision to include it is invariably due to that artist's association with a white artist (today it's Paul Simon), or some other general acceptance by the anglo mainstream (the shorthand I use and see often here is 'you'd find this in the starbucks checkout'). Everyone has their proclivities, very few of us make the effort to plumb the musical depths of specific cultures/countries/continents, but this book was a collaboration, and the list is ostensibly the result of a group effort to craft a broad, definitive list. So it's kinda nuts that this album is likely the only piece of music from South Africa to break through; that's a .1% slice of the pie.

It's beautiful but not my usual taste. I also suspect the songs are way more religious than I usually play (just going by titles I can read).

THIS is what I'm here for. Beautiful and different, and I love it. 5/5

beautiful. moving. no notes.

4.

I just don't like acapella. Personal enjoyment: 2/5 Relevance to this list 3/5

Lovely

listening this was absolutely beautiful. I love the harmonies and the rhythms of the vocals.

This one just slipped into the background, so much I forgot the album was on. I’ll forget this album come next week.

Lovely and meditative, but feels pretty background-y. One's glad world music gives us such experiences as this one and I’ll listen again (after 3x today) but one has no real way of knowing just how powerful this is as art, though one feels relatively sure the world would be a better place if we all listened to this lot more frequently.

Gear: Fostex TH610 Artwork: das passendere "Graceland"-Cover Mix: Bass, Percussions und Gitarren fast nicht wahrnehmbar gemischt - künstlerisch zweifelhafte Entscheidung 🤔 Musik: ich steh auf "Graceland" 👍 Wertung: 🌍🌍🌍/5