Ladysmith's music mesmerizes crowd

LADYSMITH BLACK MAMBAZO, Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center, July 22

A little bit of love, harmony and peace stopped in Salt Lake City Wednesday night.

Ladysmith Black Mambazo, the Grammy Award-winning South African a cappella group spread its music of unity at the Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center.

Led by Joseph Shabalala, the nine singers cruised through a two-set evening that included sweet, perfect pitch compositions that featured the group's trademark earthy and sometimes mantra-like singing.

The group mesmerized the audience with more recent compositions such as "This Is the Way We Do," from the 2008 CD "Ilembe: Honoring Shaka Zulu" and older works "Nomathemba" and Mambazo-ized classic gospel songs "Amazing Grace" and "Nearer My God to Thee."

Shabalala, nearing 68 years old, did take rests throughout the night and gave the reins to his sons Thamsanqa and Sibongiseni who led the group for most of the night.

During the second half of the evening, the audience was greeted by longtime member Albert Mazibuko.

Following Mazibuko's lead, the audience participated in a vocal competition with the group, and, as Mazibuko said, "won the competition."

In addition to the singing, the show was filled with ritualistic choreography.

From big, spontaneous and synchronized high kicks, to the most subtle finger wave and head nod, the group added visuals to the music.

The visuals didn't stop with the action on stage. The performance was highlighted by soothing colored backdrop lighting of abstract images of clouds, trees and suns.

A good dose of humor kept the show moving.

While Shabalala or his sons were leading the group, some of the singers poked fun at each other and even went so far as to kiss each other on the beat.

The trademark songs "Homeless," about the human race taking care of its own, and "The Long Walk to Freedom," written to celebrate the end of apartheid in South Africa, were sang with reverence and conviction. And the stage shenanigans were held to a minimum.

But during some of the others, the group had fun entertaining the audience.

Surprisingly, the group didn't sing "Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes," but the audience didn't seem to mind.

For nearly 48 years, Ladysmith Black Mambazo has been entertaining audiences with their live shows. Since 1985, the group has continued to entertain U.S. audiences.

Although Joseph Shabalala will inevitably retire in a couple of years, the group is in good hands with his sons.

While both Thamsanqa and Sibongiseni Shabalala don't have that earthy and raspy tenor their father possesses, their own smooth tenors, timely chants and whispers are more than enough to fill their father's shoes.

e-mail: scott@desnews.com