CD Reviews

Erol Josué

Régléman | Mi5

By BANNING EYRE | May 29, 2007

3.0 Stars

A vodou priest since his teenage years in Haiti, this singer-songwriter combines mysticism, groove, and myriad sonic surprises into his hip-hop-era deconstruction of the island nation’s racine (roots) music. Collaborating with musicians in his present home, New York City, Josué crafts rhythmic tone poems, keeping his own powerful, clear, often angst-torn voice at the center. Within the evolving, backbeat-driven mesh of the opener, “Hounto Legba,” master drummers summon Legba, who “guards the sacred gates of the unseen.” And the sonic ceremony begins: the melodious uplift of “Balize,” with its hint of funky samba; the slow, clubby pump of “Timoun Yo,” which laments the plight of Haiti’s violated youth; the celebratory “Vire Wonn,” with its echoes of Haiti’s party-hearty compas music; the spare, percussive drive of “Yege Dahomen (Aloko)”; and “Ochon Lavi,” a 12/8 hymn to natural forces driven home by a gorgeous violin line. Aimed at nothing less than spiritual possession, the gravity of percussion is never far away on this ambitious album that’s unlike any other Haitian CD you’ll find . . . and yet, it’s 100 percent Haitian.

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