| Two Worlds One Heart | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1990 | |||
| Genre | Isicathamiya [1] | |||
| Label | Warner Bros. [2] | |||
| Ladysmith Black Mambazo chronology | ||||
| ||||
Two Worlds One Heart is an album by the South African choral group Ladysmith Black Mambazo, released in 1990. [3] [4] The first single was "Township Jive", which the group had performed on the Graceland tour. [5] [6]
The album peaked at No. 2 on Billboard's World Albums chart. [7] The group supported the album with a North American tour. [8]
Several songs contain instrumental backing, a first for a Ladysmith album. [9] Ray Phiri wrote two of the album's songs. [10] Marvin Winans produced "Leaning on the Everlasting Arm", on which the Winans sang; group leader Joseph Shabalala was inspired to record the song after hearing Sweet Honey in the Rock. [5] [11] [12] George Clinton cowrote and produced "Scatter the Fire". [13] Anton Fig played drums on the album. [14]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [15] |
| Calgary Herald | B [16] |
| Chicago Tribune | [6] |
| Robert Christgau | A− [17] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [18] |
| Los Angeles Times |  [19] |
| MusicHound World: The Essential Album Guide | [20] |
| Orlando Sentinel | [14] |
| Ottawa Citizen | [11] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [21] |
Robert Christgau wrote that Shabalala "has the lineaments of a pop visionary, and here he arrives at a crossover that does the style proud, moving gracefully from Zulu to English within and between songs and pumping the a cappella rhythms with instruments on three cuts." [17] The Austin American-Statesman concluded that "the most intriguing musical meeting of minds ... is undoubtedly 'Scatter the Fire', a song that melds Zulu dance and American mutant funk." [13]
The Calgary Herald deemed the album "another haunting collection of spirituals, ballads, and Zulu traditionals." [16] The Los Angeles Times determined that "much of LBM's music is based on hypnotic, not-quite-mainstream-sounding harmonies sung by voices so beautiful as to be not quite of this world... No one is making music more heartfelt than this." [19] The Houston Chronicle praised the "dreamlike, a cappella harmonies and uplifting messages of faith and hope." [22]
AllMusic wrote that "this is one of the most ambitious albums Ladysmith has ever done, and its risk-taking pays off handsomely." [15]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Township Jive" | |
| 2. | "Ofana Naye (Nobody Like Him)" | |
| 3. | "Bala Ubhale (Count and Write)" | |
| 4. | "Love Your Neighbor" | |
| 5. | "Leaning on the Everlasting Arm" | |
| 6. | "Rejoice" | |
| 7. | "Hayi Ngalesiskhathi (Not Right Now)" | |
| 8. | "Emhlabeni (In This World)" | |
| 9. | "Isikhathi Siyimali (Time Is Money)" | |
| 10. | "Ngomnyango (By the Door)" | |
| 11. | "Scatter the Fire" | |
| 12. | "Cothoza Mfana (Tip Toes Guy)" |
Ladysmith Black Mambazo is a South African male choral group singing in the local vocal styles of isicathamiya and mbube. They became known internationally after singing with American Paul Simon on his 1986 album Graceland. They have since won multiple awards, including five Grammy Awards the fifth of which they dedicated to the late former South African President Nelson Mandela.
Mbube is a form of South African vocal music, made famous by the South African group Ladysmith Black Mambazo. The word mbube means "lion" in Zulu. Traditionally performed a cappella, the members of the group are male although a few groups have a female singer. In this form, groups of voices singing homophonically in rhythmic unison are employed to create intricate harmonies and textures.
Isicathamiya is a singing style that originated from the Zulu people, a South African ethnic group. In European understanding, a cappella is also used to describe this form of singing.
Bhekizizwe Joseph Shabalala was a South African singer and musician who was the founder and musical director of the choral group Ladysmith Black Mambazo.
Thulani Shabalala is a member of Ladysmith Black Mambazo, a South African choral group founded in 1960 by his father Joseph.
Mdletshe Albert Mazibuko is a member of Ladysmith Black Mambazo, a South African choral group founded in 1960 by his cousin Joseph.
Ndoda Russel Mthembu is a member of Ladysmith Black Mambazo, a South African choral group founded in 1960 by close friend Joseph Shabalala.
The Ladysmith Black Mambazo Foundation was set up in January 1999 by Ladysmith Black Mambazo lead singer and founder Joseph Shabalala. The foundation teaches the history of South African music styles isicathamiya and, to a lesser extent, mbube.
Headman Msongelwa Shabalala was a member of Ladysmith Black Mambazo, a South African choral group founded by his brother Joseph.
Amabutho is the first album by the South African isicathamiya group Ladysmith Black Mambazo. It was released in 1973 by Gallo Record Company. Amabutho was the first record by black musicians in the country to receive gold disc certification. It contains the hit single "Nomathemba". The LP was reissued on Gallo along with most of the group's early output, in February 2007. The members who sang on the Amabutho album were Milton Mazibuko, Ngali Mazibuko, Joseph Shabalala, Headman Shabalala, Enoch Shabalala, Albert Mazibuko and Walter Malinga
Ilembe is a 2007 album by the South African isicathamiya group Ladysmith Black Mambazo. It was released on 26 February 2007 and did not feature collaborations, and was simply "Ladysmith Black Mambazo at its best", as the Gallo press release for the anticipated release put it. It was re-released in 2008 with the title Ilembe: Honoring Shaka Zulu.
Umthombo Wamanzi is an album by the South African isicathamiya group Ladysmith Black Mambazo. The album was recorded in May 1982, and released the next month. Whilst the group's previous output had been, for the most part, entirely composed by lead singer and founder Joseph Shabalala, Umthombo Wamanzi contained primarily traditional Zulu hymns re-arranged by Shabalala, such as "Uzube Nami Baba" and "Ungikhumbule". The members who sang in the Umthombo Wamanzi album were Abednego Mazibuko Jockey Shabalala Albert Mazibuko Jabulani Dubazana Headman Shabalala Fikile Groonwell Khumalo Russell Mthembu Joseph Shabalala.
Induku Zethu is an album by the South African isicathamiya group Ladysmith Black Mambazo. The album shows the group on the front cover photograph wearing traditional Zulu attire, with lead singer and founder Joseph Shabalala out front brandishing a spear. The album was released in 1983, and reissued internationally in 1984 by Shanachie Records.
Shaka Zulu is a 1987 album by South African a cappella group Ladysmith Black Mambazo.
My Dream – African Sounds is a 2008 release by the South African groups Ladysmith Black Mambazo and the SABC Choir. It was released on 30 September 2008. The album is a collaboration of both isicathamiya and choral music.
"Homeless" is a 1986 song by Paul Simon and Ladysmith Black Mambazo lead singer Joseph Shabalala.
Always With Us is a 2014 album by the South African isicathamiya group Ladysmith Black Mambazo. The album, released on 15 January 2014, is a tribute to the life of the group's matriarch Nellie Shabalala (1953-2002), the late wife of Mambazo leader Joseph Shabalala. It is also only the second album in the group's 50-year career to feature female Zulu vocalists singing alongside the male members.
Young Mbazo is a distinct South African contemporary isicathamiya ensemble spinoff made up of the sons and grandsons of the multi Grammy-award winning acapella group Ladysmith Black Mambazo. They rose to stardom as a result of winning the inaugural Sing Off South Africa 2015 a cappella music competition, which aired on SABC 1 and earned them a recording deal with Sony Music Entertainment Africa.
Journey of Dreams is an album by the South African vocal group Ladysmith Black Mambazo, released in 1988. Journey of Dreams also served as the title of a film about frontman Joseph Shabalala, directed by David Lister and shot around the same time. Shabalala chose the title in part to describe his journey from his birthplace of Ladysmith to international success. It also refers to his desire to get the sound he heard in his dreams on to record.
Mhlahleni James "14" Shabalala was a South African Maskandi musician who came from Bergville in KwaZulu-Natal. He was part of the alternative music scene in South Africa. Shabalala was very popular as a result of his live performances at festivals and concerts throughout the country. He performed at the Splashy Fen festivals in the 1990s, and toured with musicians such as Joseph Shabalala and Ladysmith Black Mambazo.
