Voices of praise for a Zulu warrior

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa -- Joseph Shabalala’s strong, deep voice rings out clear and haunting. A choir of voices join him, rising into a harmony of sound. “This is the way we do,” sings legendary South African a cappella group Ladysmith Black Mambazo. “This is the way we do.”

For the Grammy Award-winning singers, their way has been the way to stardom.

The uplifting tune is from the group’s latest album, “Ilembe: Honoring Shaka Zulu,” which is dedicated to one of its deepest sources of inspiration. Shaka Zulu was the great African king and warrior chief who used his military and diplomatic cunning to unite the Zulu people into a mighty nation.

Nearly two centuries later, his vision of unity and national pride resonates through this latest LBM offering.

The rich melodies of “Kuyafundw’ Osizini (Ilembe),” which translates as “Learning From the Obstacles (The Greatest Warrior)” are about perseverance and overcoming opposition, while the uplifting “Iphel’ Emansini,” (“A Cockroach in the Milk)” recounts an old Zulu proverb about the dangers of concentrating on the negative and losing sight of the beauty of life.

For Albert Mazibuko, one of the oldest members of the group, the album is an attempt to encourage a greater understanding of Shaka Zulu and his legacy.

“Some people say the poor can’t do great things. Shaka learned from suffering,” he says.

It is a lesson the group, which shot to fame in 1986 with its collaboration on Paul Simon’s Grammy-winning “Graceland” album, knows well. Started in the early 1960s by Shabalala -- a young farm boy turned factory worker -- the group has taken the traditional music of black mine workers from the rural hills of South Africa to the international stage. With more than 40 recordings, the members have performed for presidents, royalty and even the pope.

“From the beginning we were struggling to develop our music,” Mazibuko says. “Now we are just cruising the freeways.”