Andy Palacio and the Garifuna Collective

Wátina | Cumbancha

CALLING OUT: Andy Palacio gives Garifuna music enough polish and verve to make it a bona fide world-music subgenre.

The Garifuna people descend from shipwrecked Africans and Arawak and Carib Indians. Andy Palacio of Belize was that rare kid who cared about his Garifuna roots enough to fuse them into his “punta rock” sound, which became huge locally in the ’80s. Now, collaborating with three generations of musicians, Palacio digs deeper, giving Garifuna rhythms and melodies the sheen of roots reggae, and a level of polish and accessibility not heard before. These 12 songs shimmer with acoustic-guitar strum, tasty electric-guitar leads, lucid passages of tumbling drums, and vocals that transform the melancholy of the Garifuna experience into solid pop hooks. The title track translates as “I Called Out” — in this case, from the roadside, but also from the depths of neglect and oppression. It sets the tone for the disc with its punchy lilt and searing refrains. “Weyu Larigi Weyu” (“Day by Day”) draws on hypnotic, spiritual rhythms. Septuagenarian Paul Nabor delivers clear-toned cragginess on his tragic ballad about a boyhood friend lost to crocodiles while fishing. It’s part of a session with a deep enough vibe and the pop savvy to establish Garifuna music as a recognized subgenre of its own in world music.