A Ma Zone

CMJ - "...On the brilliant A MA ZONE, this renowned female sextant....continues to take its musical approach even further into the urban jungle....This true must-hear has finally brought the beat box into the brave new world." Spin - 7 out of 10 - "...soaks their a cappella roots in a playful ethno-soul masterminded by lead diva Marie Dauline....suggests [a] pan-rap paradise..." Entertainment Weekly - "...There's plenty of world here....And plenty of beat....a strong central voice...anchoring a rare album that's both global and personal." - Rating: B+ CMJ - Ranked #15 in CMJ's "Top 30 Editorial Picks [for 1999]." The Source - "...Seamlessly mixes European and African flavors with American R&B to create a jambalaya of sound....With their 1st foray into rap territory, A MA ZONE...is refreshing enough fro hip-hop heads to enjoy." Dirty Linen - "...A MA ZONE is an excursion into high energy West African hip hop....sung in various languages, including French....Good fun."

Zap Mama's last album was the first one to incorporate instrumental sounds into the group's six-voice a cappella mix; it was also the first to include male voices. On A Ma Zone, group leader Marie Daulne has expanded the exploration of American R&B and hip-hop that she began with Seven. Breakbeats, jazzy upright bass, and turntable manipulation are now a part of the mix -- a mix that was already rich with European and West African influences. "Gissie" draws most deeply on Daulne's Central African Pygmy roots, with its call-and-response structure and her unearthly yodeling; "Rafiki," which opens the album, is a collaboration with Black Thought (of the Roots) that segues beautifully into "W'Happy Mama," on which Daulne shows off her own speed-rap flow (in French, of course). "'Allo 'Allo" and "Call Waiting" both hint at her ongoing obsession with the telephone, an instrument that she seems to find mildly repellent but can't seem to ignore. Everything on this album is both complex and immediately accessible, simultaneously deeply funky and sweetly gentle. Very highly recommended. ~ Rick Anderson|