"Songs from a Zulu Farm" is the 16th excellent album by Ladysmith, in addition to 4 live performance DVDs. These nine Zulu men, led by leader/founder Joseph Shabalala, are one of our favorite African Choral groups of all time; and their hythmic mbube songs made them famous throughout Africa long before Paul Simon was captivated by their music and wrote and recorded with them. Several of their albums, notably "Gift of the Tortoise" and "How The Leopard Got His Spots" with Danny Glover, are directed at children, and so is "Songs from a Zulu Farm." Since their earliest recordings, the men of Ladysmith have maintained a reverence for their past, a time of youth and innocence, when the world consisted of the hills and open fields of their parents' farms in Zululand. The English translations of these 16 song titles tells the story: "Away, You River Snakes," "Bad Donkey," "Don't Leave Home Too Soon," "River Talk," "Clouds, Move Away!," "The Prettiest Bird?," "The Donkey's Complaint," "Catch The Bird," "Praise the Cows and Bulls," "Wake Up, Little Chicks," "I Miss My Home, I Miss the Farm" and "Old MacDonald, Zulu Style." The hypnotic rhythms, the joyous harmonies, all make us want to accept LBM's invitation to come home with them, a home that nurtured and taught these exceptional singers. Colorful and extensive liner notes, and the music, throughout, complete with animal and other sound effects, is beautiful and touching! |
