7 or Seven is an album by Zap Mama, released in 1997 on Luaka Bop Records. I made music on Seven the same way as on the other albums. I only used acoustic instruments... I'm looking for instruments that have vocal sounds, forgotten instruments like the guimbri... The first and second albums were about the voice, what came before. This album is about introducing those sounds into modern, Western life.

Production

The album moved away from strictly a capella forms, incorporating more instrumentation and hip hop influences.

Critical reception

Westword wrote that "the songs feature percussion, guitar, drums and assorted string instruments ... the all-female format has been ditched in favor of a more diverse crew of musicians who work to support Daulne's haunting vocals." The Chicago Tribune wrote that "Daulne's already eclectic vision is stretched to the breaking point, incorporating blues, hip hop, funk and reggae voicings with rhythms from Morocco and Mali." Tucson Weekly wrote that the songs "open a sensual, multicultural dialogue, seamlessly weaving together diverse genres--Pygmy chants, pop world beats, hip hop, and reggae--and incorporating the influences of collaborators like rasta man U-Roy and Spearhead's Michael Franti."

Track listing

Personnel

Production