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CD Review
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Conscious Choice (Seattle), CD Review >>
Andy Palacio and the Garifuna Collective
Watina (Cumbancha)
-by Sarah Bardeen
Never heard of Garifuna music? Don't worry, most of us haven't. But if Belize's most famous punta rock star Andy Palacio has anything to do with it, that will change very soon. On Watina, Palacio abandons his synth-driven dance music to explore the gentler side of his heritage with expert help from producer Ivan Duran and from Garifuna musicians throughout Central America.
Legends about the origin of the Garifuna people abound: perhaps the most appealing holds that slave ships foundered in the Caribbean in the 1600s, freeing thousands of Africans who melted into the local Arawak and Carib populations, creating a fiercely independent culture whose music, language and traditions draw equally on West Africa and the New World.
Watina dives into those traditions, exploring Garifuna sacred music as well as contemporary compositions. The result is remarkable: Palacio's aching voice guides half the disc, while up-and-coming Garifuna musicians (and aging legends like Paul Nabor) take the lead on the rest. The acoustic songs are languid and rhythmically complex, keeping at their heart a quality that's one part melancholy, one part sun-drenched joy. In a word, bittersweet.
The music shares some DNA with Cuban music, and indeed, producer Duran has done for Garifuna music what Ry Cooder did for classic Cuban music. While some may argue he's smoothed down Garifuna to appeal to northern palate, the resulting music is wonderful and destined to reach many more peoples iPods than it would have otherwise. And that's not a bad thing.
05/01/07
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