These reviews appear in the July/August 2024 issue of Caribbean Beat Magazine.
(Peewee!)
An artist of the calibre of legendary Jamaican jazz pianist Monty Alexander — more than 70 albums over a 6-decade career — when making new music, it can be argued, is “making events, not just records.” A grander vision than a collection of songs, a thematic story woven into a sequence makes this project,
D-Day all the more revealing of the grandeur of Commander Alexander. June 6, 2024, marked the 80th anniversary of the Normandy Invasion, D-Day, and Alexander’s 80th birthday. Coincidence allows for a musical celebration that takes the listener on a sonic journey of moods, from pre-war France ambience to “Aggression”, to a contemplation in the midst of war (“Oh Why”), and the subsequent “Restoration” of a nation with victory down the line and the joy of peace. Bob Marley’s classic reggae transcription of Haile Selassie’s 1963 U.N. speech, “War”, spoken by Alexander as a call for peace, bookends this epic tribute to the idea of war and peace.
(Culture Shock Records)
The history of creole big bands in the Caribbean harkens back to a golden age in the French Antilles before WWII, and a counter evolution in the English-speaking and Spanish-speaking islands post war. Early islands migrants made a name in orchestras in pre-war UK. Etienne Charles from Trinidad brings a new recognition of a creole aesthetic to jazz music and calypso in his arrangements for big band. The blend of trumpet, trombone and saxes is angular, yet the rhythm never escapes into examples of academic dissonance. The music on this album, a blend of jazz song, swing and calypso, enhanced in a few cases by the sublime voice of Grammy nominee René Marie, swings with a tempo that never accelerates beyond the danceable human heartbeat. The U.S. footprint in the Caribbean, enhanced by the presence of Naval Bases during the War had an impact that resonates in music heard here. Charles nobly captures that ethos returning the gaze magnificently.
(Self released)
Soul music is back in vogue. John Skweird — formerly John John, get it? — has penned a heartfelt expression of love and yearning, a powerful serenade to a love out of his reach. “Beautiful Dream” continues his lyrical exploration of metaphor and allegory, often seen in his previous work going back since 2013, to mine emotions and find another path for Caribbean romance from the male perspective. A series of descending chord couplets define the music and lay a bed for lyrics that in its simplicity deliver a message of desire without being overtly sensual. “I wish I can fall, Asleep for so long / You wake me up, My dead heart / This is a nightmare, Wish you were right there / So I can wake up To my Beautiful Dream.” Soul music is, or should be, at least, internal and cerebral, not external and carnal. The contrast of verse and chorus, calm and majestic, with touches of hip-hop’s essence and modern soul music’s vocal vulnerability, make this song soar.
(Self Released)
Trinidadian rocker Rai Hana describes her new single, “Love Me”, as an “energetic, vibrant, and love driven pop punk/pop rock song.” It is all of that and more. Pop music that does not irritate and echoes obvious influences is an easy sell in the Caribbean, and here Rai delivers a ditty that has a hint of “sin” written all over it, but bathes it in a familiar sheen that makes the inside hints almost invisible. That is good songcraft, subtle yet obvious lyrics without whacking the listener over the head that the singer is in love and needs it…now! The current popularity of this song style — delivered à la Olivia Rodrigo, and by a slew of former Disney teen stars turned pop princesses — was not to be ignored to hitch a ride on. The modern music business demands a kind of familiarity before it seeks any uniqueness, so Rai Hana is on course for a win if all her marketing ideas are in place: tropical songbird, familiar tropes, sly singable lyrics on a catchy beat. Yup, that works!
© 2024, Nigel A. Campbell. All Rights Reserved.
