Zap Mama's acapella stylings rouse crowd

African vocalists get packed Finney dancing

Finney Chapel was a house of rhythm and harmony Wednesday night as Zap Mama grabbed their five microphones and commanded mass movement. Walking on stage in the trails of incense and soft blue light, they opened their set with a deep-toned chant that hardly hinted at the dance party that would soon erupt.

Zap Mama, formed in 1990 by the Belgian lead vocalist, Marie Daulne, has met worldwide success with their three albums, one of which, Zap Mama: Adventures in Afropea, was the best selling world music album of 1993. Four other singers, a bassist and percussionist rounded out the band's personell on Wednesday in a performaance that ranged from mellow acapella songs to full blown dance fest music with thumping bass and choreographed dances.

As the title of Adventures in Afropea stresses, Zap Mama's musical style is a hybrid of many cultures, countries and people. But to limit that hybridization to European and African influence doesn't consider the more recent contributions to the band's style from American sources.

On their last CD, 7, Michael Franti of Spearhead fame makes an appearance in the song "Poetry Man." Also, Jamaican style rap and traditional singing were highlights of Wednesday's show.

The variety of the show made dull moments a null factor as the band switched from African story-telling songs to poppy numbers that took advantage of the rythm section that made 7 a true departure from most other vocal albums. It was the voices, however, that held the audience, and the voices that were ultimately the power source of the music.

After a few slower numbers, Zap Mama decided to step up the intensity and called the Finney crowd into the aisles to dance. The audience did not hesitate, and reveled to "Belgo Zairoise" and the refreshing Bob Marley cover "no man no cry." Daulne coached the eager crowd into singing along, and played the audience for some laughs between songs.

Zap Mama's show attracted a crowd as diverse as their style, as Oberlin students, faculty and fans from around Cleveland packed Finney. One die-hard fan in the front row held up a home-made Zap Mama poster between songs and passed it to Daulne after the first encore, a display of enthusiasm rarely seen at Oberlin shows.

For the last encore, rather than a song, Zap Mama set up a cotton screen across the front stage and hid behind it. Daulne asked the expectant audience to "please sit for this one." A second later, the lights went out and a projected image of fingers playing soccer replaced the live show. As the vocalists supplied live sound effects, a well done video of distorted face images and fingers as legs flashed across the screen. The combination of video, music and vocals elicited not just seated dancing, but laughter too. In this way, Zap Mama answered the multimedia technology of the nineties.

Oberlin will not soon forget this amazing show, one that most likely satisfied the audience to a person. The beauty of the show, in the end, was the intense fun of a flawless performance that showcased truly world-class talent at a handy budget price.

Sing me a song: Zap Mama's vocalists lead the crowd in Bob Marley cover (photo by Mike Kabakoff)

Dance with us: Bass and percussion joined voices to rock the packed house (photo by Mike Kabakoff)