The Phoenix Network:
 
 
About  |  Advertise
 
Big Hurt  |  CD Reviews  |  Classical  |  Jazz  |  Live Reviews  |  Music Features
Best2012Vote-1000x50

Erol Josué

Régléman | Mi5
By BANNING EYRE  |  May 29, 2007
3.0 3.0 Stars
inside_erol
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.
Related: Holy nights, 5 x Lacy, Tales by the Sea, More more >
  Topics: CD Reviews , Entertainment, Music, Pop and Rock Music,  More more >
| More

 Friends' Activity   Popular   Most Viewed 
[ 02/18 ]   "Boston Facial Hair Fiasco!"  @ Church of Boston
[ 02/18 ]   Cuffs + Woollen Kits + Headband  @ Plough & Stars
[ 02/18 ]   The Ducky Boys + Hudson Falcons + Energy  @ Great Scott
ARTICLES BY BANNING EYRE
Share this entry with Delicious

 See all articles by: BANNING EYRE

MOST POPULAR
RSS Feed of for the most popular articles
 Most Viewed   Most Emailed