Ancestry in Progress
Ancestry in Progress | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 2004 | |||
Genre | Afropop, soul, hip hop | |||
Label | Luaka Bop/V2 Records[1] | |||
Producer | Marie Daulne, Anthony Tidd, Richard Nichols | |||
Zap Mama chronology | ||||
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Ancestry in Progress is an album by Zap Mama, released in 2004.[2][3] Marie Daulne, Zap Mama's leader, deemed the music "Afropean".[4]
The album peaked at No. 1 on Billboard's World Albums chart.[5]
Production
[edit]The album was mostly recorded in Philadelphia, where Daulne worked with musicians associated with the Roots.[6][7] It contains contributions from Talib Kweli, Erykah Badu, Questlove, Bahamadia, and Common.[8][9] Daulne sings in French and English, while also employing chants from Pygmy music.[10]
Critical reception
[edit]Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [11] |
Robert Christgau | [1] |
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [12] |
Philadelphia Daily News | B+[8] |
Rolling Stone | [13] |
USA Today | [7] |
Exclaim! thought that "'Bandy Bandy', with Erykah Badu, stands out because of its polished immediacy."[14] The Baltimore Sun determined that "Daulne blends the ancient (her trademark pygmy onomatopoeic vocal techniques and chants) with the present (smoothed- out, atmospheric grooves)."[6]
The New York Times concluded: "Half of the album comes across simply as neo-soul with a Belgian accent. But the other half—especially 'Show Me the Way'—meshes Zap Mama's dizzying, ping-ponging vocal polyphony with pithy hip-hop beats and a pan-African assortment of guitar curlicues."[15] The Sydney Morning Herald opined: "Singing in both French and English, she's a breathy African Bjork one minute, an operatic Afro-funk diva the next."[16] Rolling Stone considered that "despite rap cameos and world-beat sound effects, the grooves are as bland as bad neosoul, and the songs sound like bundles of self-consciously eclectic singing."[13]
AllMusic wrote that "this is far more an urban recording, where urban pop and nu-soul are informed by worldbeat esthetics rather than the other way around."[11]
Track listing
[edit]- Intro
- Sweet Melody
- Vivre
- Bandy Bandy (feat. Erykah Badu)
- Yelling Away (feat. Questlove, Common, Talib Kweli)
- Show Me the Way (feat. Questlove, Bahamadia and Lady Alma
- Follow Me
- Miss Q'N
- Yaku
- Ca Varie Varie
- Alright
- Cache Cache
- LeÇon N°5
- Wadidyusay? (feat. Scratch)
- Zap Bébés
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Robert Christgau: CG: Zap Mama". www.robertchristgau.com.
- ^ "Zap Mama Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic.
- ^ "Zap Mama: 'Ancestry in Progress'". NPR.
- ^ Knox, Katelyn E. (July 1, 2016). "Race on Display in 20th- and 21st Century France". Oxford University Press – via Google Books.
- ^ "Zap Mama". Billboard.
- ^ a b Ollison, Rashad (14 Apr 2005). "Zap Mama salutes her mixed 'Ancestry'". The Baltimore Sun. p. 21T.
- ^ a b Jones, Steve (23 Nov 2004). "R&B". USA Today. p. D4.
- ^ a b Takiff, Jonathan (14 Sep 2004). "GLOBAL REACH". Philadelphia Daily News. Features. p. 34.
- ^ Kalamka, Juba (Fall 2005). "RACE RECORDS". ColorLines. 8 (3): 59.
- ^ Pacio, Nerissa (3 May 2005). "Out of Africa, her style has no musical bounds". The Record. p. F7.
- ^ a b "Ancestry in Progress - Zap Mama | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic" – via www.allmusic.com.
- ^ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 8. MUZE. p. 859.
- ^ a b "ALSO RELEASED". Rolling Stone (959): 98. Oct 14, 2004.
- ^ "Zap Mama Ancestry In Progress | Exclaim!". exclaim.ca.
- ^ Pareles, Jon (5 Sep 2004). "ZAP MAMA". The New York Times. p. 2.21.
- ^ Jinman, Richard (22 Sep 2004). "Wind down". The Sydney Morning Herald. The Sydney Magazine. p. 118.