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Keeper of the flame
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Boston Globe, Keeper of the flame >>
By: Siddhartha Mitter
Andy Palacio became the top pop star in his native Belize performing punta, the local dance-oriented pop music. But over time, he grew interested in the traditional rhythms and culture of his ethnic community, the Garifuna, one of the African diaspora's more far-flung communities, whose members descend from slaves who were forcibly deported to Central America's Caribbean coast. In part, "Watina" is an act of preservation of this fragile culture: Most of the songs are in the endangered Garifuna language, and the spiritual invocation "Baba," with its magnificent vocal harmonies, has become an anthem of Garifuna cultural revival. But this is also a modern, funky record, beautifully engineered by the Belize producer-activist Ivan Duran, whose pioneering local label, Stonetree Records, is a story in itself. Comparisons with roots reggae are inevitable and apt, as the sounds on "Watina" possess the same freshness, and Palacio, though only in his 40s, is blessed like the reggae mystics with the kind of deep, soulful voice that the ancestors select to convey their wisdom. The supporting cast, drawn from the Stonetree stable, only enriches the project further: "Ayo Da," Palacio's duet with 75-year-old Paul Nayor, is a standout, brimming with Buena Vista-ish elegance and dignity. Nevertheless, "Watina" wears its cultural significance lightly: Recorded in a cabin on the beach, it never loses the relaxed, wide-open feel of those surroundings. 02/27/07 >> go there
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