Adventures in Afropea 1 [Original recording reissued]

Zap Mama | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 8, 2005)
• Original Release Date: 1993
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording reissued
• Label: Luaka Bop
• ASIN: B0000CC83A
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #177,715 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #77 in Music > World Music > Europe > Continental Europe > Belgium

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Bobby McFerrin meets the Mahotella Queens, April 4, 2000

By 

Hired Pen (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Adventures in Afropea 1 (Audio CD)

This first album by Zap Mama is their purest. It's almost entirely a capella, and is the least influenced by American pop culture. It's a fine balance between European and African influences, and the songs span 400 years of composition history.

To know Zap Mama is to love them. This group tackles every song with energy and enthusiasm, and their live performances are such a visual feast that you hardly know where to look at any moment. Their repertoire is so geographically diverse that I get cabin fever just listening to them.

When this album was recorded, Zap Mama was a core group of five singers, with additional guest vocals. The singers, especially Marie Daulne, have rich voices with a husky timbre. One at a time they are a delight to listen to; in harmony, they make me delirious.

The songs on this album all good, but there are a few standouts. "Brrrlak!," released as a single, is a fast tempo charmer with sophisticated rhythms. "Plekete" is an onomatopoetic road trip (literally), complete with car horns, a squeal of tires, and an ambulance siren. Three themes are presented one at a time, and the song culminates with a cleverly crafted overlay of all three. (This was the first Zap Mama song I ever heard; my then-toddler and I saw them perform it on, of all things, Sesame Street. I bought the album post-haste.) "Bottom," the only song with lyrics entirely in English, tells a story that is as understated as the film "Titanic" is over-the-top (and it's way shorter, at only one minute and twenty-nine seconds). "Din Din" shows off the group's remarkable intonation and precision. The introductory section of "Ndje Mukanie" does likewise.

Many of the songs on this album don't follow the standard popular song structure of verse-chorus-verse, and most of the time that's quite refreshing. But "Babanzele" leaves me longing for that familiar form; it's just a bit too static for something that long (seven minutes and thirty-five seconds). "Mizike" also seems a little long to me, and perhaps dated (hard to tell when you don't have a clue about the lyrics).

Lead singer and founder Marie Daulne is of both Belgian and Zairean descent, and musically, she's all over the globe. Most of what's on this album isn't in English, but that's actually an advantage; you can revel in the sounds and rhythms undistracted by the message of the songs. But even if these women were singing the contents of the phone book (and who knows? maybe they are), I'd be glued to the CD player till they were finished. I bet you will be too, when you hear Adventures in Afropea 1.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brrlak! This album is din din divine....., June 9, 2004

By 

D. Pawl "Dani" (Seattle) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Adventures in Afropea 1 (Audio CD)

I know, shameless puns derived from the song titles. Anyway, I couldn't think of a better way to express the delight I have for this album everytime I play it in my stereo! Zap Mama's style is hard to describe. It is a fusion of sounds. We have improvisational harmonies, chants, latin elements, a pygmy chant and African-derived percussion and rhythms. But, guess what? The only instruments are the voices of the five magnificent women who are Zap Mama.

Some of my favorite tracks are "Brrrlak!" (hence, the title of my review), "Abadou (a Syrian song about a man crying over the loss of his favorite woman from his harem)," "Din Din (an original, abbreviated interpretation of a traditional Spanish song from the 16th century)," and "Guzophela (an anti-apartheid song)." Not only do these women have a flair for harmony, intepretation and unbridled spontaneity, they are also fine artists. I am so glad that this innovative musical quintet has continued to perform and collaborate together. Can't wait to hear the other albums!
Check it out!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beaiutiful yet simple music., December 10, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Adventures in Afropea 1 (Audio CD)

Beaiutiful yet simple music. Zap Mama ia a group of five women of African/European origin. Their music is very harmonious acappella. The songs are verymulticultural (including some french interpretationstraditional african songs). This is great world music, very novel. It is a great change from the manufactured and uninspiring pop that one hears on radio.