Zion I - The Takeover

(Sup magazine, January 27, 2009)

Album review

Some duos work straight off, while others take time. With the requisite chemistry and a load of talent, producer Amplive and rapper MC Zumbi have really hit their stride on this, their fifth record as Zion I.

Opening with the message, "The system does not work for us, so we must take the system over and make it work for us," there follows a 14-point plan for The Takeover.

Cue Geek To The Beat, the archetypal rap with plenty of comment about the society Zion I see around them. The electro backing makes it a real grower, with MC Zumbi's comment creating the backdrop for an album hungry for change. The title track is a lazily-tempoed classic hiphop number, with the lyrical motif Takeover repeated over a smooth backtrack.

The mix of styles here - hiphop, tribal, house, jazz - is headspinning, but Zion I conquer each with ingenuity. DJ DJ takes tribal beats and forms a homage to Last Night A DJ Saved My Life, while Gumbo melds jazzy New Orleans swagger with electro madness. High points on the record are many, but most striking is the string-laden In The Mornin' (Caged Bird part 2), which shows the growth and musical maturity of Zion I.

New and exciting as their style is, the most impressive part of the Zion I experience is that they don't forget to pay tribute to the roots of their music.

That's really what makes this album such an all-round hit - and Zion I such an electrifying partnership.