Manze Dayila & The Nago Nation: Sole'

When I was 10 my parents whisked me away to the Dominican Republic for a three-week visit to an area they had fallen in love with in the early '70s. What I remember was not the over-Americanized vacation spot of today, but a land that held unexplored territory most westerners had yet to claim. During the journey, my folks and I took an old VW Beetle into the mountains on the border of the Dominican Republic and Haiti to find a small restaurant offering an incredible view. After hours of driving on barely passable dirt roads, we arrived at a small hut that sat on Haitian soil. On the back of the hut was a wooden deck and thatched roof with a view of the lush mountains of Haiti that astounded me at ten and still holds fond memories today. We sat for a few hours sharing a meal and chatting with the owner about his life and the lives of the others up in the mountains removed from the city of Port-au-Prince. The owner expressed his happiness despite such immense poverty. I tell this story now because if that moment in my life had a soundtrack it would have been Manze Dayila & The Nago Nation's album Sole'. The album offers parallels to the country it represents. Both are filled with great beauty, but under the surface both are also filled with emotion and pain that goes deeper than you or I could ever fathom. Sole' is an album to be consumed on an exotic journey into the heart of some untamed land. The offering cradles the gem that is Dayila's smoldering voice and comes complete with romantic interludes on wild instruments like the kora, balafon and a few others largely unfamiliar to most. The songs are a worldly mix of beats and cross-cultural rhythms mixed with a variety of calypso, Afro-Caribbean and the occasional electronic beat. Each song offers a divergent view of Dayila's life. Some show a happy one, filled with music and fun up-tempo dub beats. Others feature a tender romantic side that creeps in under your toes, popping and rocking you into a Haitian trance. You'll find yourself caught between intense moments as Dayila unleashes lush, smoky, Nina Simone style vocals in tracks like "Kwi." Other times you may find yourself slipping into the duets and harmonies Dayila does with any of the six other background vocalists (four of which are men). Each singer offers uniquely wonderful qualities, but never overshadows Dayila.

"Simbi D'lo" and six other tracks are based on traditional Haitian folk songs. These are the strongest offerings on the album as Dayila flexes her range and explores some of the most interesting terrain as she hits some of the deepest lows I've ever heard from a female singer. These traditional songs carry the pain of a nation riddled with poverty and sadness, yet Dayila's voice is able to fill these tender moments with colorful textures revealing lush Haitian landscapes. On "That Feeling" the rub of pop culture seeps into the album, producing a track that can carry itself around any club in any city. It resembles something Lauren Hill and The Fugees would have created in their prime.

After multiple spins the energy of her backing band really sinks in. They fulfill their purpose well, laying a solid base Dayila is able to move effortlessly over. Their spirited play captures the energy of Desol, but comes off more like something out of a Ry Cooder dream. The title track is Manze Dayila at her best, alone at a microphone emoting gorgeous, broken Haitian French cries. The song presents such an anguish-filled ballad that it moved me to tears.

Featuring a diverse offering of sixteen tracks, you better prepare at least two bottles of wine for a memorable escape from the cold, but not from the realities of life. Dayila's simple English message on the back of the album conveys the overall feeling best: "I am so grateful to be alive…I do believe the whole world will embrace this powerful, uplifting and beautiful music for their own spiritual journey. Ayibobo."

By: Jake Krolick