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CD Review
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Jazziz, CD Review >>
NYC-based singer Emeline Michel represents the "new wave" of Haiti's music scene. Like the band Boukman Eksperyans, she brings together traditional island forms of compos, twoubadou, and rara with socially aware lyrics and samba, rock, reggae, jazz, and dance music.
Accompanied by her small band of guitars, brass, keyboards, bass, and drums (with no "guest stars"), the most initially striking factor of Rasin Kreyol (Creole Roots) is the vibrant range and flexibility of Michel's voice. Singing in French, her voice naturally embraces folk-like gentleness, Nina Simone's husky sophistication, Edith Piaf's elegance, Jimmy Scott's range, and often, the forever-young earnestness of Ronnie Spector (lead singer of early '6os girl-group the Ronettes).
Where some "global pop" has a excessively busy, something-for-everybody quality, Michel's production of Rasin Kreyol with its sharp separation between voices and instrumentation coupled with the players' less-is-more approach -- is uncluttered yet full-sounding, even in its most eclectic moments. "Bo Kote'w" begins with a percolating, bobbing-and-weaving, salsa-like rhythm with Michel's somber and seductive singing soaring before breaking into a minor-key soul-strut melody that Gloria Gaynor or La Streisand would kill for. "Bel Kongo" mixes sprightly West African guitar figures and Creole funk, Michel sensuously, languorously caressing passion into every syllable.
In the world-music fusion sweepstakes, the excellent Rasin Kreyol presents an un common balancing act: Michel is immersed in tradition yet refuses to be limited by it, and while open to "outside" inspiration, she doesn't pander or dumb-down her music seeking that elusive wider audience.
-Mark Keresman 05/01/05
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