Like just about everyone in America, I learned about Ladysmith Black Mambazo because of Paul Simon and Graceland. The South African choral group started up in 1960, but they received international prominence in 1986 when the Grammy-winning artist included them on the tracks "Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes" and "Homeless." (Both songs were co-written by Simon and Ladysmith leader Joseph Shabalala.) As a kid, I'd never heard anything like Ladysmith Black Mambazo, and not knowing the language was hardly an obstacle: To untrained ears, they sounded spiritual, soulful and transcendent -- like a hymn to some divine being. But at the same time, there was something rhythmic about their delivery, even though they used no instruments. They created a groove entirely through their mixture of rough and heavenly voices. They're the sound of Graceland but, of course, they're a lot more than that.
Ladysmith Black Mambazo's discography is formidable, and I wouldn't even begin to know where to start. (They've won five Grammys as well.) So I decided to go with their closing track off the seminal compilation The Indestructible Beat of Soweto, which was released in 1985 but didn't hit the States until the following year. What is "Nansi Imali" about? Best I can tell, it's a lament for mine workers who suffered through terrible hardships to do their job. I find it incredibly calming but also joyous and melancholy.
Shabalala died earlier this year at the age of 78. In 2003, he talked about the power of his group's singing style. "It uplifts the spirit. It makes you respect yourself, respect your father, your mother," he said. "It makes you share ideas with your family at home and then it takes you to church also. You get into church like a person who is ready."
That's it exactly.
