Long ago, South African Joseph Shabalala had in a dream the bright idea of uniting Christian choral singing with traditional Zulu singing. He realized his dream by founding the a cappella group Ladysmith Black Mambazo. Their guest appearance on Paul Simon's album Graceland was the worldwide breakthrough. LBM represents the voice of a nation like no other group: Nelson Mandela praised the
… singers as South Africa's cultural ambassadors. The productivity of LBM - now more than forty releases - still pays off: the flawless harmonic Zulu vocals offer comfort, tranquility and positivism to listeners from all over the world. Sang Western guest singers on the previous album Long Walk To Freedom, Ilembe is one hundred percent LBM again, with spiritual and uplifting vocals. Ilembe is a tribute to the historic Zulu king Shaka. LBM's music feels like a pleasant warm bath. (SvdP)more