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]
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]
