Zap Mama : Brrrlak!

Zap Mama was a five woman a cappella group, formed by a ex-African living in Belgium.  Their sound is heavily influenced by the rhythms of Africa, especially the pygmy tribes, as well as European pop song.  The rhythms they employ are intense, sometimes complex, and the harmonies are gorgeous.  The group sings in English, French and occasionally an African language, though I have no idea which one.

There were a number of great songs to choose from off their first album, but I chose "Brrrlak!" as it contains most of the group's signature techniques.  It starts with the a cappella rhythmic singing, including some very tribal hoots and chirps. There's the beatbox-ish percussion bubbling along through the entire tune, turning downright funky near the end.  And then there's the gorgeous melody sung over the top, in both French and English.  It's a very worldly presentation from an extremely worldly group and highly enjoyable.

"Brrrlak!" comes from their first LP from 1993, Adventures in Afropea 1.  It's a great album all the way through, stretching from medieval-style hymns to rhythmic chants to beautiful pop melodies, sometimes all in the same song.

[You can listen to Zap Mama's "Brrrlak!" by navigating to the post "Song072" and clicking or right-clicking on the title or the link.]

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