Zap Mama

Zap Mama has enjoyed mixed success since they abandoned their a cappella sound for a more contemporary hip-hop approach in the late 1990s. Five years after its last record, the group -- centered on founder Marie Daulne -- initially sounds a little mired in its past: Thin trip-hop beats drift into R&B, bossa nova and French pop without much discernible direction. But Zap Mama can still pen a memorable hook, and songs like "Hello to Mama" and "Do You Wanna?" prove that with the right collaborator (such as Vincent Cassel), that drifting can begin to feel downright luxurious.