Ancestry in Progress

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]

Ancestry in Progress
Studio album by
Zap Mama
Released2004
GenreAfropop, soul, hip hop
LabelLuaka Bop/V2 Records[1]
ProducerMarie Daulne, Anthony Tidd, Richard Nichols
Zap Mama chronology
A Ma Zone
(1999)		 Ancestry in Progress
(2004)

The album peaked at No. 1 on Billboard's World Albums chart.[5]

Production

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
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[11]
Robert Christgau(3-star Honorable Mention)(3-star Honorable Mention)(3-star Honorable Mention)[1]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[12]
Philadelphia Daily NewsB+[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
  1. Intro
  2. Sweet Melody
  3. Vivre
  4. Bandy Bandy
  5. Yelling Away
  6. Show Me the Way
  7. Follow Me
  8. Miss Q'N
  9. Yaku
  10. Ca Varie Varie
  11. Alright
  12. Cache Cache
  13. LeÇon N°5
  14. Wadidyusay?
  15. Zap Bébés

References
  1. "Robert Christgau: CG: Zap Mama". www.robertchristgau.com.
  2. "Zap Mama Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic.
  3. "Zap Mama: 'Ancestry in Progress'". NPR.
  4. Knox, Katelyn E. (July 1, 2016). "Race on Display in 20th- and 21st Century France". Oxford University Press – via Google Books.
  5. "Zap Mama". Billboard.
  6. Ollison, Rashad (14 Apr 2005). "Zap Mama salutes her mixed 'Ancestry'". The Baltimore Sun. p. 21T.
  7. Jones, Steve (23 Nov 2004). "R&B". USA Today. p. D4.
  8. Takiff, Jonathan (14 Sep 2004). "GLOBAL REACH". Philadelphia Daily News. Features. p. 34.
  9. Kalamka, Juba (Fall 2005). "RACE RECORDS". ColorLines. 8 (3): 59.
  10. Pacio, Nerissa (3 May 2005). "Out of Africa, her style has no musical bounds". The Record. p. F7.
  11. "Ancestry in Progress - Zap Mama | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic" – via www.allmusic.com.
  12. Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 8. MUZE. p. 859.
  13. "ALSO RELEASED". Rolling Stone (959): 98. Oct 14, 2004.
  14. "Zap Mama Ancestry In Progress | Exclaim!". exclaim.ca.
  15. Pareles, Jon (5 Sep 2004). "ZAP MAMA". The New York Times. p. 2.21.
  16. Jinman, Richard (22 Sep 2004). "Wind down". The Sydney Morning Herald. The Sydney Magazine. p. 118.
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