Caribbean Beat — November/December 2018 (#154)

playlist
The Revolution
Millbeatz (Fox Fuse)
“Caribbean Wave” is the name given by Trinidadian
producer Millbeatz to describe his new sound, a
polished fusion of soca and modern R&B. And
with this sound, he is “returning the gaze” using
our voices, taking back ownership of the idea
of tropical pop made so hip internationally by
Major Lazer et al. This new album of thirteen
tracks delivers the tropes of a crossover soca
sound: short bursts of danceable songs that will
have clubs moving to the beat of two becoming
one; a kind of libertine attitude in the lyrics that
suggests “doing it all night” is cool; sampled
drums and percussion sounds that follow the
new herd of producers creating soundscapes
that signal tropical days and nights. When bossa
nova was the “new wave” that brought Brazilian
music to the world in the late 1950s, the fusion
and the melancholic aesthetic were prime. The
Revolution is bolder. Let’s hope it can start our
entrée into global music beyond a jam and a
wine.
Pillar
Jonathan Scales Fourchestra
(Ropeadope Records)
The steelpan and its sound have become
almost the cliché of Caribbean fantasy and
escape, but in the hands of musicians with a
determination to move away from that old
trope, the music can challenge listeners to
reimagine the unique timbre of this creole
invention and its canon. North Carolina native
Jonathan Scales revels in odd metres and
radical time signature changes to produce
music for the instrument that can be complex,
intriguing, and ultimately funky enough for
listeners to bop their heads. On this new
album, the bass guitar serves as a fulcrum for
a rhythmic chase as the steelpan matches it
on tracks like “This Is the Last Hurrah”, or plays
counterpoint, standing in awe of the superb
musicianship of the likes of Oteil Burbridge,
Victor Wooten, and MonoNeon on “Fake
Buddha’s Inner Child” and “The Trap”. Scales’s
musical hero, banjoist Béla Fleck, guests,
showcasing the adaptability of the steelpan in
musical settings born outside the archipelago.
People of the Sun
Anthony Joseph (Heavenly Sweetness)
The last album from UK-based Trinidadian creole
griot Anthony Joseph was a survey of Caribbean
roots and routes. This new album is grounded in
Trinidad, the land of his birth and the source of
his poetic exploration of the lives and stories of
its people. It is a connection beyond metaphor.
Joseph says he is “a poet, which is a small word
with a huge meaning and responsibility.” Those
People of the Sun — an apt symbol for this
polyglot nation of many biographies, histories,
and destinies — serve up a wide spectrum of
narratives for Joseph’s explication in that throaty
voice that balances between the accents of his
home and his abode. His poems as lyrics are
given life by this music, a blend of rapso, calypso,
Afro-Caribbean soul, jazz, and funk that is magic
to the ears, with superb production by Jason
Yarde. Featuring guest appearances by iconic
musical artists 3Canal, Len “Boogsie” Sharpe,
Ella Andall, Brother Resistance, and John John
Francis, this album is Trinidad distilled.
Single Spotlight
Sweet Vibes Alone
Lyfe Az Rose (CMMG Records)
The opening line of this catchy island pop
song is “Goodbye sadness, and hello to happy
days.” And with that salvo, the listener can just
forget about anything else but having fun. This
new track by singer Lyfe Az Rose (L.A. Rose/
Rosezanna Winchester) has the potential to
grow into an earworm you won’t want to dispel in
a hurry. A celebration in song about overcoming
pain and disappointment, this anthem may well
have the effect of inspiring sing-alongs. The
“soca lite” feel and the pop phrasing make it an
ideal crossover candidate, and a chart climber
if positioned correctly to take advantage of the
light at the end of the tunnel of the winter blues.
The tropics are the antidote for temperate
souls, and the “sweet vibes alone” positivitysharing
mantra, that feel-good but not oversyrupy
vibe, are keys to hearing this song on
repeat on your favourite playlist of tropical pop.
Survival after defeat should always sound this
great.
Reviews by Nigel A. Campbell
42 WWW.CARIBBEAN-BEAT.COM