Supermoon

iTunes Review

Zap Mama has come a long way. What began in 1990 as a female quintet performing primarily a cappella melodies based on traditional pygmy music has morphed into a full-blown world fusion swirl of African rhythms and American funk and soul. As the sound has changed, so has the personnel — Zap Mama is down to one singer, founding member Marie Daulne, who performs all of the lead vocals (and most of the backing vocals) along with various syncopated grunts, whoops and clicks. She also wrote, arranged and produced most of the songs, but she didn't create Supermoon alone — about 50 musicians in all appear on this recording, including a few high profile guests like bassist Me’shell N’degeocello, drummer Tony Allen and Michael Franti. Daulne possesses amazing vocal control and her buoyant and rich voice carries both the melody and rhythm, especially on the funkier numbers like “Toma Taboo” and “Kwenda,” each of which have horn sections that sound straight out of the JB’s playbook. There are some slower moments, such as the ballad “Where Are You,” but Supermoon is primarily a pleasing collision of sounds and styles that works best as a groove album.