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A Ma Zone is an album by the group Zap Mama, released in 1999.[2][3] The group supported the album with a North American tour.[4] The first single was "Rafiki".[5]

A Ma Zone
Studio album by Zap Mama
Released	1999
Label	Luaka Bop[1]
Producer	Marie Daulne
Zap Mama chronology
7 (1997) A Ma Zone (1999) Push It to the Max EP (2002)

Production

Produced by frontwoman Marie Daulne, the album was recorded in part in the United States; Daulne was influenced by techno.[6][7][8] The group, which included Daulne's sister, Anita, sang in Swahili and French, among other languages.[9][10]

Manu Dibango played saxophone on "'Allo 'Allo".[11] Black Thought rapped on "Rafiki".[12] Speech also appeared on the album.[13]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[14]
Calgary Herald	[15]
Robert Christgau	[16]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[17]
Entertainment Weekly	B+[18]
Spin	7/10[19]

The Washington Post noted that "actual drums and bass ... now underpin the group's sound, but this album shifts the emphasis back toward interwoven female voices."[20] Entertainment Weekly praised the "strong central voice—main Mama Marie Daulne—anchoring a rare album that’s both global and personal."[18] The Chicago Tribune thought that A Ma Zone "taps into electronica, funk and folk with an inspired, gimmick-free dexterity."[21]

Spin determined that "at points, the gorgeously arranged vocal interplay suggests pan-rap paradise."[19] The Calgary Herald concluded that "Zap Mama has lost a little of its originality, a little of its uniqueness—or perhaps its funky sound is simply more familiar in the global musical melting pot."[15] Newsday stated that the "sound is an ethereal tumble of synthesizers and other instruments, anchored by muscular, percussive beats."[22]

AllMusic wrote that "breakbeats, jazzy upright bass, and turntable manipulation are now a part of the mix—a mix that was already rich with European and West African influences."[14]

Track listing

References

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