Zap Mama – ReCreation – Heads Up HUCD3159, 47:06 ****:
Zap Mama have brought World Music to mainstream airwaves again with ReCreation. The sultry voice of Marie Daulne mixed with the eclectic sounds of the band deliver thirteen times over with this album. From the lead track with Marie’s daughter Kesia Daulne Quental, through the journey of the duets and solo tracks, ReCreation is a new beginning for Zap Mama as the enter another decade as one of the best producers of World Music there is to offer. Getting Vincent Cassel, Bilal, G. Love and more to perform on ReCreation was genius. The duets power this album and open new doors for Zap Mama by broadening the audience’s spectrum and introducing World Music to a new batch of listeners. G. Love’s track Drifting has a driving beat that reminds of Portishead with the recognizable sound of Zap Mama and Daulne’s vocal powering through.
Another favorite track on the album is Hello To Mama. No duet here, just straight up Zap Mama’s Brazilian and European flavored goodness. The duets with Vincent Cassel are romantic and dreamy mixes, while African Diamond with Tony Allen and Meshell Ndegocello shows how audible the entire group can be at once.
TrackList:
1. ReCreation
2. Vibrations
3. Singing Sisters (Feat. Sylvie Nawasadio and Sabine Kabongo)
4. Hello to Mama
5. Do You Wanna?
6. The Way You Are (Feat. Bilal)
7. Paroles Paroles (Feat. Vincent Cassel)
8. Drifting (Feat. G. Love)
9. African Diamond (with Tony Allen & Meshell Ndegeocello)
10. Harlem
11. Togetherness
12. Non, Non, Non (Feat. Vincent Cassel)
13. Chill Out
— Paul Pelon IV
