If you’re looking for something fresh and new, come on over here and check out this 20 song compilation of pop music from Haiti from the 60s to the 80s. You get a wide range of Merengue, Kompa Kreyou, Electric Folklore and something called “Vodou Jazz” and what the sounds are is kind of a combination between Afro Cuban, Cuban Cuban, Mariachi and African pop. It’s a HOOT!
Lots of percussion is bouncing around on every track, with rich voices and accordion sounding like a Cajun Street fest on “Zotobre” while sinewy electric guitar licks sway off the Sahle desert on “Francine” , Tripotage” and “La Vie Vieux Negre.” Organs and grooves that sound like Sam the Sham and “Wooly Booly” pulsate with abandon on “Pele Rien” and relentless percussion gets volcanic on “Haiti Cumbia.” An Old World alto sax serenades on “Madeleine” and bluesy sounds not unlike a wild night in Tijuana bounce around the walls on “Lonin.” This stuff has to be felt to be believed-the lyrics are mostly in French, and the voices are as palpable as dark honey. Check it out!!!