"The Closer Looks": The Ten Most Interesting

Writing this much definitely does have its good days. Apart from being able to really dig into an album or a song or a catalog or a riddim or a whatever, there're several artists about whom I just absolutely love writing and will go out of my way and mash up what tiny amount of good judgment I have to examine if I have to. These are artist who, for a wide variety of reasons just really make writing such a fun experience and, obviously, I find it enjoyable anyway, but these few really set themselves apart and I look forward to them jumping up with things to talk about and I also look forward to my mind figuring out ways to look at works they've already done in unique ways. Taking it off the ‘paper', these are artists who just really get my interests really intensified and… not always in a good way. Today we take a look at a few of them. Here're ten people who really don't have to work hard to get my attention. The Closer Looks.

{Note: Artists appear in no particular order}

Mark Wonder

World wonder. If you pay attention then it should be obvious that Mr. Mark Wonder was the inspiration for this list as we just discussed his latest album, "Working Wonders" (big album, in stores now, go get it), just a couple of days ago. In his case, what really makes him so interesting and such a 'wealthy' topic of discourse is that on the surface he seems like so many other Roots Reggae artists of his era, but if you dip even slightly below the waterline, there is so much which distinguishes his music and makes him unique from his peers. He's also clearly a case in motion because while I don't think that he receives the credit and attention that his talents warrants (he doesn't), its also pretty obvious that more and more people are paying attention and the notion of there being some day when it all comes together and he takes a leap of popularity at some ultra-advanced stage of his career is just an amazing thought. I could name you dozens of underappreciated artists (and you're likely to find some on this list), but I don't know that such a thing is even possible for most of them. In the case of Mark Wonder - it just may be. Stay tuned. 

Saïk

Evolution. While it's beginning to seem to be a total certainty that we will reach the end of yet another year in which the… almost unnecessarily gifted (he could probably be 75% as talented as he is right now and still be one of the Dancehall's most adroit lyricists) Gwada DJ, Saïk, will not deliver his sophomore studio album, it doesn't mean that he's completely fallen off the radar. Aside from rather continuously releasing a steady stream of singles, it remains difficult to shake off the work already put in by the still young artist. I always look at Saïk in the way I look at someone like Aidonia and while you and I won't be around to see it, in the year 2300 or so, I fully expect their styles to be somewhat prototypical of the time. Today it just sounds like someone who's virtually without peer in terms of what they're capable of and although he keeps making us wait for it, if we don't get the album in 2013 and I make a sequel to this list - Saïk will still be somewhere on it.

NiyoRah

Star potential. NiyoRah has been a favourite of mine from pretty much the first time I heard him doing anything and in the latter stages of 2012, things haven't changed at all. Amongst the many interesting aspect of his career, definitely one of the most interesting is his potential. NiyoRah is, at least seemingly, well within his musical prime and it seems as if almost every time he does push up with something, more and more Reggae fans across the world are beginning to take notice. Not only does the artist make good music and, as I said, currently has an arsenal as deep as he's ever had in his career, there's just something about him which seems to speak heavily of two things. First of all, I'd be completely shocked if two or three decades from now NiyoRah weren't STILL making music, he very much has the feel about him of someone who is in this for a lifetime and secondly RIGHT NOW, he has an immense level of star potential in my opinion and, in his case, it seems only a matter of a time before the entirety of the more 'mainstream' side of Reggae music catches on. Why wait??? Check out almost any of his work today if you have yet to. 

Turbulence

In progress. Turbulence is clearly someone who is in motion and despite the fact that for the past few years or so I haven't had a particularly or prevailing positive view of his music, he remains such a RIPE spot of interest for me. The main reason here is that Turbulence has already well shown himself to be amongst THE most talented faces in Reggae music today and it's a fact which I think is obvious to so many people… excluding Turbulence, of course. He's spent years making music which doesn't quite live up to what should be some of the loftiest of standards in the entire genre - pushing up nondescript albums and just underachieving in my opinion. But he appears on a list like this because, while doing that, he's also shown flashes of what he once was and probably still can be considering his age for the type of music he makes (early 30's is very young for a top flight Roots Reggae artist). If it were all bad, I would have lost interest (and you would have also), but it hasn't been and you can't COMPLETELY just ignore a talent like this who, in the history of this blog has already given us two 'modern classics' and, again, is still very young. Of course, it is my ultimate hope that Turbulence, one day, returns to his amazing form, but even if he doesn't he's likely to continue to receive my attention and stay a favourite topic of mine because I'll be hoping that he does someday wake up and assumes his rightful place as one of the genre's biggest stars. 

Stevy Mahy

Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful! Along with her presence beautifying anything that I'm working on at any time, I've definitely developed an even grander appreciation from the walking divinity that is one Stevy Mahy. Yes, she is… very easy on the eyes and her music is candy-like to the ears. My greatest source of interest in Mahy, however, comes via really learning more and more about her. I'm not someone who is usually terribly interested things outside of music, but when you consider that her music is this wonderfully blended mix of French, Kreyol and English, you begin to wonder where that approach comes from and how well it is translated into the music and each time I dig into her story (outside of just admiring the physical), I come across something even more interesting than before. It's also relatively safe to say that with one possible exception (which is actually coming later on this list), it's been a loooooooooong time from the last time I was so much looking forward to an atypical sophomore release than I am of Mahy's.  

Ras Batch

Maestro. As it would turn out, "Know Thyself", the 2012 album from one of Reggae's most sagacious lights, Ras Batch from out of St. Croix, was a bit more appreciated and discussed than I had anticipated it being. Even if it were not, however, I would not have experienced the slightest of discomfort in being the album's only and loudest of supporters. This album - whatever his next would be - was one which I was fully anticipating and when it did arrive it not only didn't disappoint, it even managed to impress and became a 5/5 album to my opinion. Why was I so much looking forward to it and what makes Batch so interesting to cover? I've said it before (I THINK) that although I completely DESPISE becoming a disgusting old man (I AM THIRTY-ONE YEARS OLD!) (YUCK!), one of the largest gifts that aging has 'given' me is the maturity to be able to appreciate Batch's music on a level which I, seemingly, wasn't able to in the past. In kind of making that change now, much like Mark Wonder, I see and hear the artist for all of his uniqueness and ingenuities. He is a brilliant writer and a musician and having spent years and years developing the talents of others, he was full on due for the spotlight to be shone in his direction and it goes without saying (but I'm going to say it anyway) that made the best of it. The next time he makes an album, you can be sure that he'll do it again.  

Midnite

A challenger. You're likely to find millions of more passionate and full-on BETTER fans of the enigmatic Vaughn Benjamin and Midnite than am I and that is true despite the fact that I do consider myself being someone who is, somewhat like in the case of Batch (although different in the downright strange amount of material there is available in this instance), coming around just a bit. That's an odd thing to say, I know, taking into account how much I've written about Midnite recently. One of the biggest reasons that is the case, actually, is that not too many people write about them. Midnite is confounding in so many ways and not the smallest is their relationship/lack thereof with the Reggae media. As one of the biggest and most popular names in all of modern Reggae music, you'd think that 'they' would get just a bit more attention from writers than they do and I think the reason that they ("they", of course, meaning Vaughn Benjamin) do not is because they aren't exactly the easiest to write about. When "Kings Bell" arrived last year it definitely was a changer and it was the first of its kind in some time - it really lead a high profile existence for an album. However, from that time we've also had "In Awe" (which I'm slowly coming to realize was absolutely OUTSTANDING) and recently "Children Of Jah" (which has a dubbed out version loaded and ready to go reportedly). The latter was very popular amongst fans, but you didn't see much written about it, but it still was better traveled than the former! I'll write about Midnite continuously, because I find it beautifully challenging to piece together Benjamin's words and analyze them in a more straight forward manner and, really, the less that others do so, it'll probably grow my interests. Definitely one of the most demanding entities in the music today, but it's becoming obvious to me that, as it has been to others for a decade now - it's worth it.  

Lutan Fyah

Anyone else? Lutan Fyah is one of my favourite artists. He's likely well on his way to becoming one of my favourite of all time, so I'm partial and that's fine. An interesting part, however, in my interest in writing about him as a topic is to see if I am drastically overplaying his talents. I do that occasionally (although I do think that I've gotten much better over the past couple of years), but I'm something more than convinced now of the Fyah's talents, which really peak and pinnacle at his abilities as a writer. I cannot think of many artists who have EVER proven to be a more capable writer than Lutan Fyah and it all really jumped up a couple of years ago when I was at the point where I found it difficult to even find a substandard VERSE that he had written and, these days, it appears as if he's well headed back in that direction (he also seems to be enjoying a slight profile increase these days as well and for good reason). For me, already, while he may not have the greatest command of melodies (he doesn't), Lutan Fyah is ALREADY one of Reggae's greatest lyricists and I think a lot of people are slowly beginning to agree with me. 

Sara Lugo

I told you! Just a few short years from now when I'm loooooong gone and just as lengthily devoid of the tiny amount of sanity that I currently have remaining, Sara Lugo will be a giant star in Reggae music. The world would have caught on to the magical and intoxicating blend of Jazz that she carries with her music and have fallen in love with one of the most unique talents the genre has ever heard. And although I'll be in no condition to appreciate it, this blog will still be here and it will still be loaded with material celebrating the lovely music of the German songstress. Aside from that (most selfish of reasons), Lugo's music is, at least in part, a display of the amazing power and attraction of Reggae music. When this music becomes strong enough to attract such a wide variety of different people who not only become fans, but become extremely colourful and dexterous artists, I think that you really have something which has greatly evolved. I don't think scientific when I listen to Sara Lugo's music and it ultimately isn't the major propellant which makes her so interesting to discuss, but when there does exist such a brilliantly ORGANIC combination of styles which she is so seamlessly able to roll out, you do get the feeling and the hope that more like her are on the way. Until then and still after even - ONE OF A KIND!

Sizzla Kalonji

The reward. And finally - although I don't write about him nearly as much as I might, Sizzla Kalonji remains and hopefully will always remain one of my favourite topics and he is a subject who has changed throughout the years. I'll likely forever maintain that, when at his best, he has no musical peer and it is a unrivaled greatness which, at least partially, makes him so fascinating for me - the "best", inherently, is one of the most interesting. Aside from that, Kalonji has also never been able to completely stay away from controversies, his career has been marked by devastating streaks of activity and, regardless of how you feel about his music, he has been one of the biggest names of this era as well as the one prior to it. An overabundance of striking angles and, after all of these years, a JOY to write about. 

Rewind!: "The Beautiful Side of A Kreyol Folk Trip" by Stevy Mahy

"The Beautiful Side of A Kreyol Folk Trip" by Stevy Mahy [BCaribbean]

Today we take a look and a listen back to an album which is simply one of the best non-Reggae albums that I've ever heard and one of my favourites, regardless of genre, in quite some time. Simultaneously, we also take a look 'back' (not really, we've been looking at her for about eighteen months now) (damn, it's always nice to look at that woman) at that album's most interesting and vivid star, who has become a household name around here. Now, more than a year later, the album has only increased and is DEFINITELY a 'modern classic' release and just . . . one of the most fascinating projects we've ever had the privilege of covering. "The Beautiful Side of A Kreyol Folk Trip" by Stevy Mahy.

1. 'Something About You'

This tune was the second single from the album if I recall correctly and while, for some reason, I just hadn't played it in some time but now - all is well. This thing is GORGEOUS and it even offers one of the more stirring moments on the entire album when it seems to EXPLODE in its latter stages, taking an already sparkling song and raising it to somewhere in the cosmos.

2. 'Yenki Pou Vou'

'Yenki Pou Vou' hasn't gone anywhere, on the other hand. It was musical divinity the first time I heard and has remained so ever since. If anything, I probably like it even more these days (which surely has something to do with that video). A smile is still BRUTALLY forced out of my face when I hear this song (especially that ever so slight still pan on the chorus) and I don't think it'll EVER change!

3. 'Divine Magic Joy'

Why not? Just name a song 'Divine Magic Joy' and see what happens. What happened was . . . well, divine magic joy.

4. 'San Vou'

Another song which I probably have an even greater appreciation of (if that's possible) after watching a visual version of it. 'San Vou' kind of hits me these days as a 'dance song' (which is why I'm currently dancing in my chair listening to it). The vibe on the track is just so LUSH and it builds throughout so that, by song's end, you have so much going on in the riddim and are just lost in the midst of this absolutely stunning musical experience.

5. 'Beautiful'

You

Came into my life

I thought that I was dreaming because YOU

Showed me a new dance of life

A new way to breathe

Call it 'Kreyol', call it 'Zouk', whichever is really fine to me. 'Beautiful' is probably the best of either genre that I have EVER heard, particularly for a much slower song and it's also, quite possibly, the most deservedly named song that I have ever heard also. A MODERN CLASSIC of a tune and for the ages.

6. 'Fame Is Gone'

These days I'm hearing m ore and more Jazz in 'Fame Is Gone'. With a backdrop almost as 'wonderfully agitated' as that of 'San Vou', you really take this tune in on so many different levels. When it blows up, I heard Fela Kuti, I hear chanting, I hear dancing (how can you HEAR dancing) (Achis, what the hell???), I hear a sterling vibe.

7. 'Most High'

This song is compelling on the first level because of its intention. From the title, people like you and me are automatically thinking one thing, obviously, and with words like "testimony" being thrown about, we're even more secure in that. However, somewhere in the back of my most ridiculous mind, I'm thinking that it may just be a bit more simpler and 'terrestrial' than I'm thinking. In any case it's a beautiful song and thinking passed that, once you do allow yourself to grab this one on a superficial level, it becomes downright exotic and more and more sonically addictive than I initially gave it credit for.

8. '4:37 PM Harlem [N.Y.C.]' (Interlude)

Going to New York.

9. 'Falling In Love Again' featuring AB

I now consider the old-schooled Jazzified 'Falling In Love' to be the changeup on this "Trip" and I think that's pretty much what the intention was on this one. A year on and I'm very curious what the reaction might be to this tune if it ever got turned over to more traditional R&B circles. I'm inclined to think that it would do VERY well.

10. 'What's Going On?'

Stevy Mahy follows the R&B set with another which, in terms of its subject, is of a similar type, but whose vibes are all kind of exotic. 'What's Going On?' sounds SO GOOD that even now, I don't know that I've really given it the type of actual attention that it's due, but . . . DAMN it just sounds so good.

11. 'Shine On Me'

Speaking of sounding good. The MASSIVE 'Shine On Me' remains one of my pwrsonal favourite tunes on the whole of the album and I've grown and grown in my love of this song. It makes an immediate impact on my senses these days and one which, probably even more so than the 'main event' on the album, just LIGHTS me up ('Beautiful' takes a second or two to get going, but when it does, it never ever stops). A twisting and turning tune which is downright CRACK for the ears.

12. 'Si'w Pé'

Yeah. It's taken me entirely too long to see it, but 'Si'w Pé' is ABSOLUTELY SPECTACULAR! This song is HUGE! It has a vibes surrounding it that is just so SPRAWLING and accessible, that I'm almost a bit embarrassed that it's taken me this long to realize it (while I definitely knew it was damn good, I didn't know it was that good). But now that I'm there - I think it's your turn, pay special attention to this one.

13. 'Mon Cœur Mon Ange'

The bright ending of our trip is another track which has grown on me considerably over the year and it grows even right now still. The chorus on this thing is hypnotic and somewhere, while listening to this song and only this song, on repeat, I'm pretty sure I lost about an hour of time that I'll never be able to get back. I'm not complaining about it either. LOVELY.

14. '3:55 PM Les Abymes [Guadeloupe]' (Épilogue)

Trip wrapped up - time to go home and relax.

I think it's also time to REALLY have a listen to this album. We can hear individual songs and make assessments of them and the album stands well in that respect, but as a complete and functioning unit, I just haven't heard many non-Reggae albums which were this good (and not a TON of Reggae albums either actually). Take that and combine it with the inherent and organic ORIGINALITY and UNIQUENESS of the artist in question and you have an album which looses non of that kind of new glow that even a good new album has, this one was great and it still feels like it released yesterday. Also, the rarity of Stevy Mahy well bleeds into "The Beautiful Side of A Kreyol Folk Trip", giving it its own very different and ultimately compelling feel and making it a trip which will not soon be forgotten (SEQUEL!).

Angel?

If anyone could somehow pull some strings to ensure that this is the first image I see when it's 'my time' - I'd be most appreciative!

"The Beautiful Side of A Kreyol Folk Trip" by Stevy Mahy, in stores now

Completely Random Thoughts 39: In Meh System!

I've really been meaning to come back to this and given the fact that there is pretty much nothing going on these days which is exciting and I'm absolutely starving for something interesting to write about (send ideas (which I probably will not do) (actually, I probably won't even read them, but Bredz will) to AchisReggae@hotmail.com), I thought that now would be a pretty good time.

"The Jam Sessions" [2010] & "In The Music" [2011] by Jalena

Just before our last big break, we mentioned that Achis Reggae favourite and BVI Soca supernova, Jalena had released her sophomore set, the thoroughly entertaining "In The Music". Surprisingly we got a nice bit of messages in response to the post, most of which were positive (seriously, you may not like the style or the genre, but if you don't like Jalena, you are an alien) (biggup Skinny Fabulous) ("Mi head gone a space and it nah comin baaaaaaaaack") and hopefully some of those people picked up the album. So I'd been meaning to revisit one our favourite topics, Jalena, while it was still fresh on the mind - we just needed the proper opportunity and to remember! Fortunately, after listening through a great deal of random stuff - it was Jalena, herself, who provided the hint.

"Don’t you forget me"

That BIG tune across the OMG Riddim won't be found on Jalena's just as metabolically-challenged new album, but what you will find a whole heap of interesting moments - Exactly what we've come to expect from her over the past few years. Having now had the time to take in the full project - I have to say that, as expected, I love it. It is a superb release, with the only complaint being that it could've been a few tracks longer, but as I've said in the past, if she is to keep her current schedule of releasing an album every year, then I can deal with eight tracks (and Soca albums, in general, aren't generally very long anyway).

'Rester Avec Moi' ['Stay With Me']

My favourite moment does remain the intoxicating 'Come Baby' and that song, at least for me, will likely always stand favourable to just about anything Jalena does, but I was most interested in sinking my brain residue fully into her Zouk-ified debut, 'Rester Avec Moi'. BOOM! That thing is MIGHTY! I'm almost never correct when I say shit like this, but that song is a hit to my opinion - if given the proper opportunity, it would have flames behind it and I think it could make a sizable dent in the world of Zouk (TRACE!). On top of that, with an album per year from Jalena . . . I don't know maybe in 2013-2014 we could get a full Zouk album from Jalena (and could you imagine a remix of this track with . . . Lady Sweety!)??? Ultimately I think she may have eyes for a more of a 'mainstream' platform, but to ignore the fact that she'd need not stretch herself very much at all (maybe learn some Kreyol) and potentially have a big career doing Zouk probably isn't the smartest thing to do - and I'm not a very intelligent person (AT ALL), so it should be completely obvious at this point. However, regardless of where she does eventually take it, hopefully Jalena doesn't ignore that Zouk: She does very well.

So that's it! No more excuses. Unless you want others pointing at you and laughing and shit - like in random places - You'll definitely pick up Jalena's brand new album "In The Music".

'In Meh System'

And you know what! You should probably also get her 2010 album too, "The Jam Sessions". Twelve tracks of absolute ear candy. Highlights included 'Down De Road', 'Bumpa', 'Do Fuh Do' w/Daria, 'Wuk Meh', 'In Da VI', 'Coming To Jam' and the MASSIVE 'In Meh System'. The entire album was a big highlight! And don't even just take my word for it - I happened to find this STUNNINGLY BRILLIANT AND AMAZING REVIEW floating around online, so have a read and get some Jalena in your life.

New Video: 'Yenki Pou Vou' by Stevy Mahy

'Yenki Pou Vou' by Stevy Mahy [Directed by Ivan Herrera]

Continuing to shine a completely unnecessarily bright light from her outstanding debut 2010 release, "The Beautiful Side of Kreyol Folk Trip", is Achis Reggae and planet Earth favourite, the divine Ms. Stevy Mahy. This time she checks in with the video for the FIFTH single from that wonderful project, for the sublime 'Yenki Pou Vou'. Following big previous efforts for tunes 'Beautiful', 'Something About You', 'Fame Is Gone' and most recently, 'San Vou', this clip definitely had a great deal to live up to in the way of standard of quality, but as expected, Mahy manages to turn out yet another unforgettable and stunning visual treat.

In terms of pure aesthetic appeal, 'Yenki Pou Vou' may very well be Mahy's best effort since 'Beautiful'. This thing is simply GORGEOUS! The viewer doesn't get ten seconds into the clip without seeing the first glimpse of what is certainly the video's most powerful lasting piece of imagery - Stevy Mahy just . . . On this swing. There's sooooo much on my mind about this swing (not the least of which is the fact that it’s very very lucky to be where it is). What I really like about it is its kind of randomness. You never see another person in the shot when you see the swing besides Stevy and it really accentuates so many things - the beautiful woman, the beautiful scenery and restating the only for you idea of the tune.

Stevy Mahy and swing

When Stevy Mahy does reach other people, she also uses a very interesting method. There's this bicycle which is highlighted and really made a pretty big deal of in the clip for some reason (which I'm still working on thinking my way through). She also goes amongst other people when it becomes a matter of celebrating this dazzling music and 'performing' it and even then there is prevailing cool and calm which is the nature of the tune itself.

Finally, if the swing isn't the lasting image from the video (and it is), 'Yenki Pou Vou' leaves us with a very solo Stevy Mahy napping in her hammock, seemingly already vibing an idea for her next video (which, hopefully, will be for 'Shine On Me'). Yes, you very much wish that you were in it with her, but you’re also enjoying the view.

Stevy Mahy and sexy

This is another excellent video from Stevy Mahy an check out her album, "The Beautiful Side of A Kreyol Folk Trip", in stores now.

'I'm Coming Back For You': A Review of "Secrets De Femme" by Fanny J

Amongst many others, one of my own personal favourite quotes attributed to His Imperial Majesty, Emperor Haile Selassie I is something to the extent of ‘The quest for knowledge stops only at the grave’. When I think of it and attempt to place it into some context of my own, I always come back to the music where, in my specific case, I consider music to very much be an education for me and not just something to listen to (clearly). While I don’t very well consider myself to be an expert at anything besides myself, my ‘strength’ is definitely modern Reggae and Dancehall and, in that case, I’d say that I do very well although I certainly have much much more to learn. Then there’s Soca and a few other styles which I have SO much more to learn and become acquainted with, but thankfully on those fronts I do have the consistent or semi-consistent passion to continue to become more and more educated and observant. And then there’s Zouk music. Most embarrassingly I would probably say, and do so rather confidently that, despite my only death ending quest to learn everything that I can, a couple of years ago I knew pretty much nothing about Zouk and right now . . . I know pretty much nothing about Zouk, especially following a 2010 where I paid little to no attention to it and in my opinion, still, I had pretty good reason. There just wasn’t a ton going on in my main area of interest and, in retrospect, the biggest ‘pure Zouk’ moment of 2010 (until this album that I’m about to tell you about reached) was something which may not have done registered to a great degree on many radars of people ‘in the know’ - sweet singing Methi’S pushing her debut album, ”Mon Nid D’iles”. Surely there was Stevy Mahy but as her album, ”The Beautiful Side of A Kreyol Folk Trip” moves further and further away in terms of time and even closer and closer towards my affections, I see it less and less as a Zouk album and more of a - dare I say - ‘World’ music album (YUCK). So, 2010 was definitely a year, for me, which could have used a beautiful closer to get me back to being interested. And I suppose I was lucky because you look up and see who’s released an album - Afrikan Zouk star Kaysha! Yep, Kaysha brought ”Works of Art” to the masses and I didn’t even know it was on its way. Of course I’m joking (biggup Kaysha anyway because I love his work as a producer) (biggup Thayna), but in terms of placing something in my face or putting it in on paper, 2010 had one MASSIVE trick up its bag before it said ‘goodbye’.

That “trick”, of course, would come in the form of an artist who I’m coming to notice is one of the genre’s biggest names altogether, Fanny J, the angelic Zouk singer from out of Guyane who, after a year of rumours on the matter, delivered her much anticipated sophomore set ”Secrets De Femme” for Section Zouk. Unlike several of my other favourites such as Kénédy, Tina Ly and Lindsey Lin’S who I largely caught onto in the typical way - big single(s) which ultimately lead to album releases - I’ve grown to become a pretty big fan of Fanny J’s for a bit of a different reason. First of all, having seen her perform live definitely hasn’t hurt, but also she’s just maintained such a powerful presence in the music that it became pretty impossible to ignore. Her first album, 2007‘s ”Vous Les Hommes”, in retrospect, was probably a lot better than I ever gave it credit for as well. Having gone back and spun through it semi-thoroughly for the sake of this review, it was packed full of some sterling material as well and perhaps, on that end, I shouldn’t be surprised that she’s risen to the top of her genre and is apparently doing things like mashing up Zenith stage in Paris on Boxing Day last year. I also shouldn’t be surprised to see her new album getting quite a bit of spin and SHINE as well and apparently doing very well on many of the retail sites because - Yeah, Fanny’s a really big deal in Zouk music. For some (almost certainly ridiculous) reason, I had started to associate Fanny J with Sushiraw, the label of the aforementioned Zouk star, Kaysha, but ”Secrets De Femme” comes packed and produced by another well regarded artist, Warren, who also apparently had a hand in originally discovering her talents as well. Also, Section Zouk is a label we haven’t dealt with in some time either. To my knowledge, they’re at the head of the class when it comes to Zouk music (the VP Records, if you will, of Zouk) and work with more than a little bit of the biggest active names, but I don’t know that they’ve been very active as of late. I was keeping an eye out for their big annual release, ”Section Zouk All Stars” (essentially ‘Zouk Gold’ for my Reggae heads) and if an installation of the series for 2010 does exist it’s yet another sign of my increasing ignorance on the genre, but I’m pretty sure they didn’t do one for the year which may suggest something is going on, but if it is, the fact that they’ve made it a point to serve up this album is, perhaps, yet another sign that Fanny is doing something right for herself. So, with all of that said, is the album any good? Sure it is. Not that the competition was anything special, but when all is said and when all is done, ”Secrets De Femme” was THE best Zouk album that I heard in 2010.

'Okay' Remix featuring Black Kent

Two things struck me just looking at this album on paper before listening to it. The very first was the fact that there’re TWENTY tracks on it. With only the intro as an ‘interlude’ like track, the other nineteen check in at more than three minutes and the fact that Fanny J gives up more than seventy-five minutes in full is well impressive and interesting. And, of course, there’s the matter of the cover of this album which is absolutely spectacular in every visible way. Said cover lays atop ”Secrets De Femme”, the brand new album from Zouk star, Fanny J, which gets going with a title track/intro which features the aforementioned Warren and precedes the first full musical selection on the album, ‘Notre Château De Mélodie’. This song kind of typifies more of the ‘standard’ type of Zouk track that I expect from Fanny on this album. It isn’t actually AMAZING, but it gives off the appeal that it is and that alone may be an important piece of the song, but this one more sets up what is to follow if you REALLY listen to it (and I’m not trying to call it bad, because it certainly isn’t and it gets even better as it goes along). The next tune, however, ‘Pas Ce Soir’ is as good as it seems on the kind of R&B vibes as Fanny J goes all Beyonce on the people and does so on rather coy Zouk swing. The next tune is somewhat familiar as you may very well know ‘Okay’ as one of the album’s single. In this case, however, it’s sans rapper Black Kent who features on the well known version of the tune, but the twenty track monster does include the remixed version as well, which closes things out. All in all, the opening of the album is pretty good and things get better and do so quickly.

'Me and You' w/Million Stylez

If I’ve failed miserably in my attempt to convey just how big of a deal this album is, then perhaps the fact that Warren and Fanny J have lined up some top of the line talents for Fanny to play with will make my point even greater. To Zouk fans (who’re laughing at me now) and just a few more the name Slaï should be familiar because the veteran singer has definitely done big things on his own and teaming up with Fanny on ‘Je Me Reppelle’. This tune is a bit older and I know it quite well, but still it is GORGEOUS! The two make a very fine duo, but as we quickly find out on ”Secrets De Femme”, Fanny does well with almost anyone. The always entertaining Krys is another such person who links well with the songstress as evident by their tune together ‘Bye Bye’, one of the album’s finest moments. This tune was also present on Krys’ own album from earlier in 2010, ”Step Out” and while I wasn’t very fond of that album, on the whole, this tune, which closes it, surely made an impression on me going forth and at that point in the album the very talented wordsmith that Krys can be at times, offers a most welcome changeup. Speaking of very talented wordsmiths (from Gwada) - One of the most talented of them all, Admiral T guests on the very popular and downright OUTSTANDING ‘Bay Love’. Yes, you should be familiar with this one because it also highlighted the Admiral’s own most recent release, ”Instinct Admiral”. This song is BLAZING and is my second favourite on the whole of the album. It gets better on each and every spin and if it got any better than it might even be better than ‘Me and You’, the album’s best tune. This song is so interesting because it’s actually the full on Zouk remix of a tune my Reggae heads should know quite well by Million Stylez from the Sugar Riddim. Here, it’s been Zouk-ified and it sounds so nice as Fanny J well ‘decorates’ a track which, although it didn’t need the help, sounds even better for it. And I don’t know whose idea it was to make this happen, but he, she or it is a damn genius.

The level of intelligence displayed on ”Secrets De Femme” doesn’t dip noticeably once Fanny J is back on her own as she continues to dazzle in some cases with big tunes. Such a moment is ‘Comme Toi’ which I had to kind of listen to out of the sequence where it is on the album (a lot of times listening to Zouk albums, some of the tunes begin to start EXACTLY alike one another to my ears, but are suddenly ‘revived’ or ‘energized’ once I either take a break or start jumping around and this one was such a piece) and in doing so I happened to see that it was GORGEOUS. The ultimately very addictive ‘Radio’ was a tune I was well looking forward to hearing based on the title alone and while it isn’t the kind of surefire dance hit that I may’ve expected, it is a very good song. And speaking of interesting titles, there isn’t a single more interesting one on the whole of this album than the song actually called ‘Fanny J’. Thankfully the singer (or whoever wrote it) thinks enough of herself to deliver when her name is (literally) on the line because rather easily the tune is one of the album’s brightest moments. And also on that note (with the title thing) is ‘Mon Bad Boy’, a tune which find us mixing just a little bit of Dancehall with Zouk providing the necessary edge for such a tune. And other selections such as ‘Et Moi’, ‘Fo Nou Pale’ and ‘Retiens-Moi’ all have more than just ‘their moments’, but definitely add to the total strength of the album and I would definitely say to not skip over any of them.

'Gucci'

Still, after the combinations, there’re four tunes here which REALLY stood out for me and largely build the ‘body’ of an album that I called The Best Zouk Album of 2010. The first of that impressive lot is another curiously titled tune, ‘Gucci’. BIG BIG tune. So often this music has the reputation of being this very delicate and weak type of genre, but I’d certainly say to anyone who held such thoughts to take a spin of this coyly forceful and sassy (biggup Destra) tune on the album. You’d also want to check ‘Lé Ou Joinn Lanmou’ which was a tune that I’d actually known prior to this album’s release (or maybe at roughly the same time), because it’s been receiving a nice push and may, in fact, be the second single from ”Secrets De Femme”. I also really enjoyed ‘Reviens’ as well. I had to vibe this one four or five times, however, before I REALLY realized that it had actually grown on me and done so to a considerable degree. I LOVE the way this one starts in as it seems to be building up IMMEDIATELY and the subsequent tune doesn’t dissatisfy. And finally, speaking of nice intros, the tune just before ‘Reviens’, ‘Sa Ké Ay’, has beginnings which are truly dazzling and the swinging piece of mastery which ensues thereafter has about as big of a claim as any as being the finest tune on this album altogether. For me, in a solo track, this one REALLY showcases what’s wonderful about Fanny J as an artist and it does so with a vibes distinctly Caribbean and which I automatically associate with top of the line Zouk music.

Overall, hopefully even if this one isn’t on your vibes and you’d never pick up anything like it no matter how strongly I push it, what you can realize is just how big of a deal it really is and with that taken - Yes, it’s very very good also. I really like almost everything about how this album is done. Perhaps it could have used a few less tracks (and maybe they could’ve gotten it out just a little sooner), but there is clearly a whole heap of good material here which is never a bad thing. Furthermore, again, the remix with Million Stylez is BIG and hopefully it’s something which could give Fanny a bit of status with most of my usual readers. So, after a pretty long and completely uneducational time away from Zouk, thankfully 2010 didn’t end without something to grab ad pull me back - It was ”Secrets De Femme” by Fanny J - The Best Zouk Album of 2010. Period.

Rated: 4.35/5
Section Zouk/Warren Music
2010
CD + Digital
Fanny J @ Myspace
Fanny J @ Facebook

Completely Random Thoughts 18.5: Tanya St. Val

Wasn't going to post today at all, because I have a lot of stuff to listen to (like the sweet sound of me not doing anything), but in our internet travels, we found this absolutely DEVASTATING picture of the lovely Ms. Tanya St. Val.

45 years young and sexy sexy sexy. The very first list I ever did on this blog was "The Top 10 Sexiest Caribbean Artists" and I had St. Val at #6 and if I were to do it today, she'd be no worst than #4. That picture is . . . Yeah. So here's another and biggup Tanya St. Val. Big tunes tomorrow.

'Special Blend': A Review of "Mon Nid D'iles" by Methi'S

For the most part, I don’t think I’ve advanced to the point where, as a Zouk listener, I’m really paying attention to things like artists’ origins and how exactly they reflect on what type of music that particular artist may make. In Reggae, and even in Soca to some degree, I’m able to really get in depth on things like that and I believe that I’m rapidly approaching the point where I may be able to actually tell you where a particular artist comes from simply based on the sound and the vibes of their music. In Zouk, however, while I’m still quite comfortable to let things advance quite slowly on that front, when I do come into bits and pieces of information about how it might possibly relate to an artist’s sound, I try to take and make mental notes as to how that all breaks down. So what have I found thus far? Not much in the way of interesting pasts, although I’m sure there’re plenty. Typically, you’ll see things very reminiscent of the R&B world where, either an artist came up through church or with someone else in the family or, in some other way they’ve managed to grab the attentions of someone in the music industry - All of which are nice and certainly not as pedestrian as I’m making it seem, but not necessarily the most riveting situations either (although comparing those two genres most certainly would be very interesting because the are very similar, ostensibly). So what have I found? Most recently, of course, there’s been the matter of the increasingly captivating Stevy Mahy. While I still don’t know a whole heap about the enchanting Gwada songstress, I did just happen to see a very nice video of her singing as a kid (and noticed that she still looks EXACTLY the same as she did as a very small child), which definitely sheds some light on her rather unusual skills. There’s also another of my favourites, Lindsey Lin’s who, as far as I know, was born somewhere in France, but to parents - One of whom was from Guadeloupe and the other was from Martinique, as if you could possibly construct a better bloodline and situation for a Zouk singer. And I’d also mention people like former Haitian beauty queen, Misty Jean and the delightful Michele Henderson from out of Dominica, neither of whom are REALLY Zouk singers (even less so than Mahy), but certainly float around and occasionally dwell in it and do so as pretty large musical representatives of their homelands. Still, from a personal standpoint, I’d have to say that simply based on how she came to my attention that the rather unusual looking and almost disturbingly adorable Methi’S, probably has the most interesting background of any ‘pure’ Zouk singer that I’ve come to know of thus far.

So what’s so special about her and who the hell is Methi’S? Here’s the thing - Methi’S’ history doesn’t read as particularly exceptional, apparently her mother was a driving force in her becoming a musician and, as I said, that isn’t too out of the ordinary at all. What is, however, very attention-getting is the fact that if you wanted to take a Zouk singer and take her towards a Reggae head (like yours truly), the best thing you could do would be to obviously involve HER someway in Reggae music, which is exactly the route Methi’S took. The very first time I REALLY took note of her vibes was on the MASSIVE tune ‘An Ba Soley’ from a few years back, which just so happened to feature the Gwada born singer alongside the dominant Saïk (and it, subsequently, was featured prominently on his album, ”Face à La Réalité”, as well). Not only that, but Methi’S also linked up with another big artist, SamX, on his big tune, ‘Pa Pléré’ (from the “Bondyé Sel Sav“ album), which was another strong way to place her on my radars. And of course (by happenstance, I’m sure), both Sam X and Saïk just happen to belong to the Genesiz Crew, which is a VERY strong (predominately Dancehall) group of young artists from out of Guadeloupe (and also includes, I believe, the likes of Ocsen and Young Chang MC) and I believe that Methi’S is also an ‘official’ member. It’s interesting that both of those initial tunes were kind of one-drop songs and I thought that Methi’S might be a bit of a Reggae singer (which simply doesn’t exist to my knowledge for younger females in French Caribbean Reggae to my knowledge) because she definitely handled it so well, but unsurprisingly, as we get to know her more and more, she shows that her main intentions are in the Zouk realm as we get to know her better. And there exists no better way to get to know Methi’S better, to my knowledge, than checking out her brand new debut album, ”Mon Nid D’iles”, which finds the delightful ‘sidekick’ like artist taking center stage. As if her work with Genesiz wasn’t enough emersion in Reggae music (and it definitely was), Methi’S’ album also comes via the single largest label on the FWI Reggae scene, Don’s Music, who appears to be broadening their horizons as of late (besides Methi’S the label is also working with Zouk singer, Ludy) and couldn’t have chosen a better artist to start with in my opinion. In case you haven’t been able to tell thus far, I’m pretty high on Methi’S as an artist and for me, it’s always so interesting to see someone progress to the point where I’m not the only one who seems to notice that . . . ‘Damn this person is pretty good at making music’ and it’s even more interesting in the case of Methi’S who, again, has gone from doing big combinations with other artists, right into her own project. So the next question, obviously, is whether or not the singer can hold the vibes so high on her own. Well, that’s not quite the question - To hold her to the standards of ‘An Ba Soley’ and ‘Pa Pléré’ would be pretty damn unfair (following his last album, actually, it’s probably pretty unfair to hold SamX to those standards, to be frank), but what remains to be seen is if she can make her own way and set her own standards as a solo Zouk artist.

She can. Now, after alllllllll of that, I think I should probably say that I wasn’t exactly expecting much from this album. It definitely comes in a very exclusive group of pieces which I REALLY wanted to get my paws on, but wasn’t expecting to be blown away by. Of course, the fact that I’d only heard a couple of Methi’S solo tunes prior to the release (which is on this album) had something to do with that and, again, at this stage in someone’s career, expectations in general just shouldn’t be very high, especially in Zouk I think. So, perhaps the fact that I wasn’t expecting to be thrilled with Methi’S debut album, ”Mon Nid D’iles“, had something to do with the fact that I definitely was at times during this very enjoyable album, particularly in the early stages. Such may’ve been the case with the opening and title track for the album, which was one of the two tunes that I’d heard prior to getting the album. This tune is electric, literally, and while I generally don’t have such a strong reaction to tunes vibed like such, this one really grew on me in short order. The tune is going about giving love to the Caribbean and Methi’S is representing very nicely on tunes like this. She does the same thing on the next song in, ’Two Lontan’, with its semi-spectacular vibes. This one is one of the strongest pure Zouk pieces on the album (or, just by my standards of what “pure Zouk” is) (“modern” is probably a better word than “pure”, however) because it has the characteristic swaying BOUNCE to it which I just love and I’m certain that, given the opportunity to shine a bit, this one can really have an impact. The third track of ”Mon Nid D’iles”, ’Tu Me Manques’, is also the first big single from the album which birthed the crazy video (which I surely attached) also. I’ve kind of gone back and forth on this one from since I first heard it and regardless of what you may think of it, ultimately, I think that the saving grace here is the intoxicatingly pulsing riddim for the song which has just been gripping my brain as of late and Methi’S’ vocals on top of it don’t hurt the tune’s quality at all. But that riddim is QUEEN!

I probably shouldn’t even have to tell you, at this point, where exactly my attention was focused when looking at the contents of ”Mon Nid D’iles”, because it’s quite obvious. The first of two combinations on the album, ’Number One’, features impressive Martinique (I THINK) singer Oneel and I have to say that although it certainly isn’t amongst my favourites here, that chorus is RIDICULOUS! As for the rest of the tune, there’re literally times where you pause it to make sure you aren’t playing more than one song at the same time, but the chorus is the saving bit here. What saves the second combination, the remix for ‘Are You Ready’, is something wholly different altogether. This infectious Soca-fied tune features Frenchie Hip-Hopper Aym Zilla and the aforementioned demonically gifted DJ, Saïk. While the most gifted wordsmith never reaches critical mass (and he’s auto-tuned throughout), he comes damn close and the vibes of the tune is large enough to get the job done anyway and if I’m being completely honest (and I am), it is the single best moment you’ll find on the album, unsurprisingly.

But that doesn’t mean that there isn’t any worthy ‘challengers’ from the balance of ”Mon Nid D’iles”. DEFINITELY the greatest of the ‘contenders’ is the Reggae-ish ‘Pé Pa Vwéw Pléré’. I read an interview with Methi’S where she mentioned that she had become quite the fan of Jamaican Reggae diva Alaine and this is a very Alaine sounding type of song with its kind of underlying COOLNESS dominating the song. A couple of later tunes on the album also exhibit a similar chilling quality from Methi’S, ‘J’avoue’ and ‘Quelque Part’. Both tunes are seemingly equal parts sweet Zoukiness and Reggae and are absolutely candy for your ears. For my opinion, I slightly favour the ‘colour’ of the latter, however, which down its stretch highlights the big tune. I should also mention ‘So Fine’ in this row as well because it’s pretty much a Dancehall tune sang by Methi’S. Sounding like something directly out of Steven ‘Lenky’ Marsden’s catalog, circa the Diwali years, Methi’S pulls another Alaine-like piece for the masses and I’d imagine this one would be quite the popular selection for the dance floors if given the opportunity (and it probably will be) in the Caribbean and beyond (and, as the title would suggest, there’s quite a bit of English in the tune as well).

As for the balance of the album, it features a ‘healthy’ mixture of big moments and less than stellar pieces as well. A tune like ‘En Vain’ is definitely going to catch your ears, just as it did mine because it happens to be absolutely gorgeous in every way and is one of the best tunes on the whole of the album. This one sounds like something you’d hear from Lindsey Lin’s or Kénédy - One of the more ‘stereotypical’ and well known Zoukies - And it is on that level as well, AT LEAST. I’d also imagine that in heavy Zouk circles, ‘En Vain’ would draw a nice bit of attention and praise as well - This very SPARKLING tune. ‘Nou Jen’, which follows it, might also do it fair share of damage, although it’s a bit off-center (especially with that saxophone spiraling in the background) and somewhat genre bending, the tune is delightful and although there’re several stronger tunes here, you won’t find many which are more interesting sonically. And speaking of sonic appeal, there’s also ‘Si C'est Ça Le Monde’, which is nearly devastating with its BIG sounding vibes and so impressive is it, that it ranks as one of the finest moments on the album as well (although it does threaten to implode later on in its duration. And finally there’re the two songs on ”Mon Nid D’iles” which I don’t particularly enjoy, ‘Tu Mens’ and the closer ‘Rupture’. For its part, ‘Tu Mens’ certainly isn’t a bad tune, but for my opinion, it’s too . . . Kind of European Electric/Dance Light-ish/Techno for my ears. There are definitely tunes like this which I like, but in this case it literally seems kind of mechanical and like it was made to ‘satisfy’ that type of market. And as for ’Rupture’, Methi’S continues to show her Reggae leanings by ending her album with a . . . Yep you guessed it, an acoustic set, which definitely doesn’t fit in on the vibes here, but it does manage to show off her lovely vocals a bit in its otherwise mediocrity.

Overall, there are so many things going through my mind in regards to this album and Methi’S and her future as an artist. The most prominent and prevalent is the thought that it would be so nice if she could continue to develop more and more into Reggae and eventually become a Reggae singer. Not that she’s bad at all at Zouk, but I think, given her situation, and given the fact that I can’t think AT ALL of a dominant female singing French Reggae, seemingly heading in that direction would be a great deal less crowded and competitive. On top of that, however, I think she’s off to a wonderful start, regardless of what direction she ultimately goes. "Mon Nid D'iles" shows Methi’S in a most favourable light by showing her versatility and although it may (and it does) take a while to realize in some of the more ‘rigid’ moments of the album, this Zouk album isn’t just a straight forward Zouk album, there are many more things at work here. So excellent start for a young artist whose background and the company she keeps almost guarantees that we’ll be hearing more from her in the future - One way or another.

Rated: 3.999999/5
Don's Music
2010
CD + Digital



Methi'S @ Myspace

'Beautiful, Beautiful!': A Review of "The Beautiful Side of A Kreyol Folk Trip" by Stevy Mahy

Okay I know that I’m supposed to be this sort of two-brained vacuum like human being who literally sucks in new music and decides whether to regurgitate it to you beautiful people or to place it in my internal and ridiculously hard to remove, bag for disposal, but I have to admit - I’ve been slacking on the job. The Carnival season is good and gone and with it, it’s taken most of Soca for the next few months, I’ve pretty much had tunnel vision on Reggae and Dancehall, to the neglect, of course, of the subtle genius and crystal clearly beautiful genre of Zouk. Last year, two of my personal favourites, Kénédy [“Entre Toi Et Moi”] and Goldee [“Le Moi De May”], dropped albums and that should’ve been a pretty good sign that 2010 would be a ‘down’ year for me when it came to Zouk releases because, obviously, two of my favourite artists wouldn’t be doing albums. There’s also Thayna, who had an album in 2008, “Nouveau Départ”, which she’s still promoting apparently and artists like Fanny J, and Jessye Belleval and Lindsey Lin’s, all of whom, I believe, were slated to make releases this year, but as none of them have materialized as of yet, so my interest hasn’t been very high in waiting (although if you wanted to give me that Fanny J album, like yesterday, I wouldn’t mind none at all). It wasn’t until quite recently, over the past couple of months or so, that we REALLY began to take a listen and a look at Zouk 2010 and it was largely due to the fact that a well known Reggae label (it would be, wouldn’t it?) had chosen to make an entry (or a reentry) into the sweet genre as Don’s Music shot out with a release from the delectable Methi’S, “Mon Nid D’îles”. It’s been just about two months since that album dropped and having finally been through it, it’s just now starting to warm up to my tastes. Also, Don’s Music began working with a next (cutie) artist by the name of Ludy, who I’m also liking currently and that is, of course, right up my alley because at the same time, the label has been dealing with the likes of Admiral T, Paille and the Lieutenant, which makes coming into contact with their Zouk work a matter of ‘being in the right place at the right time’. Still, if I’m being really forthcoming, the final flare that caught my attention for Zouk music this year, technically wasn’t even a Zouk artist. No. Instead it was the hypnotic and downright SPACIOUS vibes of one Ms. Stevy Mahy.

Initially, it was the whirlwind created by the EPIC tune that was ‘Beautiful’ which jumped the Guadeloupe songstress on the radars of most, I’m sure, yours truly included, but when we got to know her better, what we learned was that Stevy Mahy was just full of interesting material - She has almost as much of it as potential. While hers is a story which is still largely a mystery to me, what we do know about Mahy is that she seems to have a bit of a globetrotting dynamic with her life. She’s obviously spent more than a little time in New York (more on that later) and Paris which has become not only a matter of fact in her life, but it’s made the fact that she seems to almost go out of her way to represent for Gwada so much more interesting. In doing so, as I alluded to, her style is clearly something much more influenced by ‘traditional’ Creole folk music, with Zouk and even a little R&B (and JAZZ) thrown in (but I make the point that in traditional Creole music, Jazz is, inherently, very present and represented), rather than being a straight up Zouk artist (although there’s certainly nothing wrong with that). Want more? Simply take a good look at Stevy Mahy. She is gorgeous and she is gorgeous in a very non-traditional way (although with those CURVES . . . Stop Achis) and her look and, by extension, her image of this very strong and womanly Creole person is something which you don’t usually see with the way in which Zouk singers are usually ‘dolled up’ to look like pixies (sexy pixies, mind you, but pixies still) in many cases (although I’d like to think that image is slowly, but surely changing in general). Back to her music - As I said, it was the early tune, ’Beautiful’, earlier this year which brought her to prominence and I have to say that I besides loving the song itself, I just love how it just seemed to pop up and then run its course through the usual channels, eventually progressing all the way to jumping up on the radars of my research via becoming a digital single. Stevy Mahy would also drop a second single (which I’ll tell you about in a minute) and did so just ahead of her brand new, debut album the delightfully titled ”The Beautiful Side of A Kreyol Folk Trip”. It is DEFINITELY the word “trip” which you’re best off focusing on as a listener, because the album takes us on a very nice and, of course interesting, trip through the mind and life of Stevy Mahy. By wonderful coincidence, this “trip” comes via the same B Caribbean that brought to the world the aforementioned golden Goldee and that also means that you can expect a ton of probably my favourite Zouk producer (not that I know so many of them, I’m still a Zouk rookie) (a Zoukie?), the professional, Mr. Joël Jaccoulet. The label, as far as I know, is based in Martinique and has been at the forefront of so many big projects within Zouk, which includes, of course, steering Goldee into stardom and ensuring that the mammoth shot of a tune that Stevy Mahy laid out would go on to SWEEP through the world as it did. That’s definitely no coincidence at this point: Obviously B Caribbean knows what they’re doing. That’s BEAUTIFUL because had this song and had this artist just kind of came up and jumped ‘in line’ with so many other artists, it would’ve been a damn shame. Mahy does so well at sticking out and drawing attention to herself by simply being herself and because of that (oh, and the fact that she just happens to make excellent music), it proves to draw this “trip” as one you’ll surely want to buy a ticket for.

The first thing you’ll hopefully notice about our journey is that our lovely captain, Stevy Mahy, is functionally trilingual throughout. The songstress, without warning, weaves her way between her native Creole, French and English and while I’m almost sure there is some sort of method to her linguistic madness, the fact that I have no idea what it is certainly doesn’t hurt much here. Our first stop on Stevy Mahy’s ”The Beautiful Side of A Kreyol Folk Trip” (I really don’t like long titles, but that is wonderful) is at the aforementioned second single for the album, ‘Something About You’. HOW SWEET IS THIS SONG? This is the tune you play when you want to stay in bed a couple of extra hours and open the window or just lay on the floor and PLAY (and I mean that literally) with your special someone and although I find better tunes on the album, this one is just a CRYSTAL of a song and a GLORIOUS way to get us started on this journey. Next, we hit ‘Yenki Pou Vou’ and . . . Yep. I mean . . . I’m certainly going to get tired of using ‘beautiful’ as an adjective, especially considering the album’s title and specifically what happens on track #5, but this tune is BEAUTIFUL! The smallest fragment of beauty certainly isn’t that ever so SLIGHT steel pan I hear at the end of the tune’s chorus, nor is it Stevy Mahy’s almost perfect vocals and her twisting linguistics (which just switch at mid-verse for absolutely no reason) (and I love it). And, were that not enough beauty, already, for ”The Beautiful Side of A Kreyol Folk Trip”, simply the TITLE of the next song, ‘DIVINE MAGIC JOY’, should make you smile as it did for me and my Wife, who hates everything. It’s going to sound lame, but I’m going to say it anyway - This song is like a BREEZE and if you haven’t already fallen in love with Mahy’s vibes, that should be wrapping up right about now (and even if it isn’t she still has something for you in just a bit) because this ghost of a tune is barely even here, but wherever it is, I’m with it and you will be too. HUGE start.

I was going to take this one in a most spellbinding twist before ultimately arriving at the pinnacle of our trip, but I think I’ll lay it out nice and early. Of course, I’m talking about the most beautiful moment along ”The Beautiful Side of A Kreyol Folk Trip”, ‘Beautiful’.

"You
Came into my life
I thought that I was dreaming because you -
Showed me a new dance of life
A new way to breath"

TEARS! This fucking song is the most perfectly titled creation of 2010 that I’ve heard, because it is just so nice, so airy, so angelic that it taps into nooks and crannies of emotions that just don’t get up and worked on too much (at least not for me), when listening to Zouk, for the most part (although I do love it still). It took over things fro Stevy Mahy and, thankfully, it has been the beautiful vehicle which has brought her and her music to us and will continue to going ahead, hopefully. AMAZING!

And I didn’t just sign up and join this trip for the opportunity to visit ‘Beautiful’ (although it was certainly worth the price of admissions on its own), I wanted the full joy of the experience and thankfully, Ms. Mahy makes our trip so much of a FULFILLING experience, besides relying on the attraction of that most captivating and capable of tunes. The two stops immediately following ‘Beautiful’, ‘Fame Is Gone’ and ‘Most High’, definitely caught my attention based on name value alone and the subsequent tunes that I heard just as definitely didn’t disappoint. The former speaks of this kind of future of former stars who just can’t seem to adapt to ‘regular’ and ‘everyday’ life. It’s one of the most lyrically impressive efforts on the whole of the album (and a lot of English, but it switches without warning) - “Fame by any means, but fame means enemies” - and the way the tune kind of EXPLODES down its stretch is very impressive and lovely as well. For its part, ‘Most High’ is a song where you must forgive me because I’m a Reggae head, so you KNOW what I thought this song was about and I was kind of correct in my assumption because it does at least appear to find Mahy reaching and calling upon a Higher Power, but it has a bit of flexibility in it and she may very well be speaking of ‘falling in love’ in the general sense. I would imagine, however, that she might make the case that both are one in the same and if she would, then good on her! And to place a nice bow on the first half of ”The Beautiful Side of A Kreyol Folk Trip”, we look at another very strong effort, ‘San Vou’. The attraction here is ‘simply’ the sonic appeal of this song first and foremost, and later we deal with the fact that it’s also inspirational and just well done. While this one may not have a whole heap of flare and may not attract much initial attention, truth be told - It’s probably one of the strongest efforts here.

The first actual song during the second half of our trip, ‘Falling In Love Again’, was one I was prepared to say that I didn’t like too much up until a couple of paragraphs ago when it finally clicked with me for some reason. The song features singer AB and it kind of has an R&B type of appeal, but it sounds like old school minimalist R&B and Stevy Mahy sounds like an enthused version of Alicia Keys or Jill Scott to AB’s smokiest of D’Angelo. Ultimately, I feel it works because of the ‘mood’ of the song which never seems to step beyond its boundaries in terms of being COMPLETELY unaware of what other music is on the album and the type of artist that we’re dealing with, who is very talented. So well done. Next in is the less ‘traveling’ and extremely RELAXED vibes of ‘What’s Going On’. The song is actually about Mahy questioning her own motives and actions which have obviously lead to a spoiled relationship, but I’m sorry Stevy, I feel your pain, I’ve been there (BELIEVE ME, I’ve been there) (SHIT, I’ve LIVED there for YEARS at a time in the past), but this song sounds so good that I’m having a really hard time moving passed that fact to find out what’s really going on. That being said, it doesn’t sound as good as what may just be my second favourite tune along ”The Beautiful Side of A Kreyol Folk Trip”, ‘Shine On Me’. The word I’m thinking of is BEAUTIFUL. Yet another beautiful tune for this album, highlighted by the fact that I nearly jumped out of my chair (scaring the hell out of the cat) when, with approximately twenty second remaining in the song, Stevy Mahy goes all Luciano on the people:

“No night in Zion, there is no night there
No night in Zion, there is no night there”

And it works and it’s appropriate for the song and - Just wow. Huge huge piece. Next up we relax things back just a bit on ‘Si’w Pé’, maybe one of the most ‘traditional’ Creole tracks on the album and, simultaneously, one of the most infectious. The tune starts off so nice and easy, but its intensity seems to rise and rise and by its end we clearly have one of the most colourful and ‘visually’ attractive selections on the trip. And for our final stop, ‘Mon Cœur Mon Ange’, Captain Mahy goes French for the most and in doing so creates an excellent ending. Really like the chorus on this one and the while it still certainly doesn’t sound quite ‘flashy’ enough to be considered Zouk (not even by my not so intelligent ears), it’s still lovely and has the same effect, I’m sure. Also, I should mention the presence of two skits. One ‘4:37 PM Harlem [NYC]’ appears to feature Mahy bumping into an old friend in New York and, lo and behold, the tune which follows it is the aforementioned R&B-ish ‘Falling In Love Again’ (the interlude actually features a woman asking Mahy “so why are you here in New York” in a crowded space and then the tune starts, seemingly to answer the question - She came to get the vibes). And the other piece is essentially an outro, ‘3:55 PM Les Abymes [Guadeloupe]’ and it finds Stevy Mahy, her beautiful trip completed, relaxing and enjoying the lovely day.

Overall, I don’t know if you could tell from the review, but I absolutely love this album. As I said, I was looking for something to kind of reignite my passion and taste for Zouk music and despite not really being a Zouk album (even though I’m going to label it as such), ”The Beautiful Side of A Kreyol Folk Trip” from Stevy Mahy has, essentially, done just that. More importantly, it’s also given to me and the entire world a potentially DOMINANT talent in French Caribbean music (and you can certainly take that in the all-encompassing sense, in terms of genres) because I would suggest that, because of her VERY relaxed style, Mahy might find very responsive audiences in genres like traditional R&B and Jazz and maybe even Pop to some degree. But, because such successes may require more effort than Mahy is willing to give or offer more than she simply wants (from what I’ve read about the singer she REALLY seems to be focused on making her mark on music in Guadeloupe in particular and representing it), we may have her ALL to ourselves. I’m not going to be the one to complain because when next Stevy Mahy packs up and takes another trip like this one, I’ll definitely be on board, no matter where she's headed. EXCELLENT!

Rated: 5/5 [4th Five Star of the year]
BCaribbean
2010
Digital

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Stevy Mahy @ Twitter