South African Choral

On the world music front, the South African choral style has gotten a lot of exposure, but the uplifting Alexandra Youth Choir freshens things up a bit with dynamic vocal interplay and some sturdy rhythm players. This is a joyful, soprano- and alto-heavy congress of voices (with lesser accents of bass vocals) that sings in the Xhosa (which features percussive verbal clicks), Zulu, Sotho, and English languages. The album intersperses some impressive solos throughout the copious ensemble material.