Q (1/95, p.262) - 3 Stars - Good - "...dig further into global a cappella....Tracks invoke down-beat American soul and jazz."
Sing Out! (11-12/94-1/95, p.152) - "...There is so much pure music here that the case for sisterhood and tolerance is made quite plainly, without resorting to hotbutton demagoguery..."
Zap Mama: Marie Daulne, Sally Nyolo (vocals, percussion); Sabine Kabongo, Sylvie Nawasadio, Marie Cavenaile (vocals).
Additional personnel: Subhindu "Bapi" Das (vocals, percussion, kamak); Munyango Jackson, Ange Fernand Nawasadio (vocals, percussion); Jack Roskson, Anita Daulne, Yassine Daulne, Marie Afonso, Bernadette Aningi, Coco Minyaka, Elodie Baszda, Marie Adjosio (vocals); Fatime Mazraoui (percussion).
Recorded at Space Shuttle Studio, New York; Jet and Madeleine Studios, Brussels, Belgium.
SABSYLMA was nominated for Best World Music Album in the 37th Annual Grammy Awards.
Zap Mama raise the human voice to new levels of power and dignity. With the enormous success of their first recording, ADVENTURES IN AFROPEA 1, Zap Mama stepped front and center on the world stage, with a joyous polyglot language that hopped, skipped and jumped between musical cultures with an urbane sense of wit and style.
Their second recording, SABSYLMA, is a joyous, richly evocative affair that should further expand their popular base--there's not a single throwaway on the set. The brainchild of composer/producer Marie Daulne, Zap Mama have perfected an exotic brand of pan-ethnic doo wop that swings like mad. The fun Marie and her collaborators share in this creation is positively infectious.
On a certain level Zap Mama's work recalls the music of that classic acappella group, Sweet Honey In The Rock. But where Sweet Honey's music is deeply rooted in worksongs, hymns and spirituals, Zap Mama depicts a broader stylistic canvas, one that's grounded in folk rhythms from around the globe as well as contemporary funk and R&B. With spare percussion as their only accompaniment, Zap Mama rocks the house with remarkable range and spirit.
