''Induku Zethu'' is an album by the

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

isicathamiya Isicathamiya (with the "c" pronounced as a dental click) is a singing style that originated from the South African Zulus. In European understanding, a cappella is also used to describe this form of singing. The word itself does not have a literal ...

group

Ladysmith Black Mambazo Ladysmith Black Mambazo are a South African male choral group singing in the local vocal styles of ''isicathamiya'' and '' mbube''. They became known internationally after singing with Paul Simon on his 1986 album ''Graceland'', and have won m ...

. The album (#BL 393) shows the group on the front cover photograph wearing traditional Zulu attire, with lead singer and founder

Joseph Shabalala Joseph Shabalala (28 August 1940 – 11 February 2020), was a South African singer and musician who was the founder and musical director of the choral group Ladysmith Black Mambazo. Early life and career Shabalala was born in the town of ...

out front brandishing a spear (the album's title translated into English is "Our Fighting Sticks"). The album was released in 1983, and reissued internationally in 1984 by

Shanachie Records Shanachie Records is an American, New Jersey-based record label, founded in 1975 by Richard Nevins and Dan Collins. The label is named for the Gaelic word ''seanchaí'' (anglicised as shanachie), an Irish storyteller. It was previously distribu ...

Critical reception

Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most well-known and influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and ...

called the album "serious, intricate, droll, eerie, precisely rehearsed, and very beautiful." The ''Los Angeles Times'' wrote that "the octet's rich vocal blend focuses on deep unison harmonies that soothe more than evoke the call-and-response release of American gospel."

Track listing

# "Mangosuthu" # "Induku Zethu" (Our Fighting Sticks) # "Vukani" (Wake Up) # "Kubi Ukungalaleli" # "Ithemba Lakho" (Your Hope) # "Isono Sami Sentombi" # "Ingwe Idla Ngamabala" (A Leopard Is Recognisable By Its Spots) # "Umzalwane" (Brother) # "Ifa Lobukhosana" # "Wayibamba Mfana" # "Watatazela" (You're In A Hurry) # "Bakhuphuk' Izwe Lonke" (They Went Up To The Country)

References

1983 albums Ladysmith Black Mambazo albums {{world-album-stub