Imagine a sound that infuses Caribbean and African rhythms while compiling reggae, funk, jazz, hip-hop, soul and even electronica into one. Now imagine that sound materialized as a stunning female vocal trio backed by a multi-talented band-only then do you have Zap Mama.
On Tuesday night, the Belgian group turned Boston’s small Paradise Rock Club into an all-out sweat-drenched dance party.
Marie Daulne, the group’s founder and lead singer, already has already established an iconic air to her. With her hands covered in red velvet gloves, Daulne’s melodious gesticulations enchanted the audience members. Her cartwheels across the stage and numerous entrances into the sweaty mosh-pit didn’t hurt matters either.
She and her two alluring backup singers, one with a full afro and the other with a long blonde ponytail (both with the necessary hoop earrings), choreographed entire songs together so that the trio brought back the essence of The Supremes, only with more moves.
Throughout the show, Daulne called on the group’s DJ, demanding in her Belgian accent for a “fat beat.” Besides mastering the decks, the DJ also had a full array of hand drums in front of him, on which he not only supplied hip-hop beats, but African-inspired rhythms.
The guitarist, pianist and the drum-set drummer also provided electrifying instrumentals to the sound. The back-up singers also incorporated countless methods of percussion, using their mouths, tambourines, maracas and claves.
About halfway through the show, Daulne even challenged the DJ to a “battle” of percussion – she beatboxing with her mouth and he on his turntables and hand drums. Since both Daulne and the DJ repeatedly outdid each other, they simply faded their battle into a reggae skank on top of which Daulne proceeded to skat.
Eventually, Zap Mama made their way to “1,000 Ways,” the first single from their new album Supermoon. Here, the vocal trio began to sing a capella, harmonizing the refrain “Ooh! Aah! Fresh!” to nothing but a hint of bongo drums in the background.
Not only does Zap Mama infuse a range of instrumental flavor into their music, but their songs also vary in language. Although much of their music is in English, especially on their current album, about half of their songs are in French and a few draw on African dialects.
At the show, Daulne fully embraced her French tongue, repeatedly asking the audience, “comment ça va,” and teaching them to respond “ça va bien!” Before going into the sensual song, “Affection,” from the new album, Daulne asked the crowd if they understand “amour” to which she received an emphatic reaction.
Although Zap Mama has yet to become a staple in the mainstream U.S. music scene, that hasn’t stopped the band from earning two Grammy nominations in the Best World Music Album category. However, thanks to recent collaborations with the likes of Erykah Badu, Common and Talib Kweli, things may soon be changing.
With a refreshing sound that transcends barriers of culture, race, language and region, Zap Mama seems poised to soon have the world ooh-ing and aah-ing all the way back to the Grammy Awards – this time gracing the stage and sweeping the awards.
