Listening Picks from the Caribbean of the Month – Featuring Nigel Campbell’s review of new music by Cindy Celeste. Braveboy; John G; Teneille Young; Ronald Snyders; and Mical Teja
Cyndi Celeste
Love in my language (self-release)
The juxtaposition of spoken language and music has been mined into the records by legends such as Gil Scott Heron and Mutabarka. Barbadian poet Cindy Celeste – this is her first full-length album – provides a fascinating form of consciousness in performance poems, using the feeling of lack of rising lists and punctuation that we often hear. She calls her work “a dynamic blend of Bajan and Caribbean storytelling, infused with the influences of R&B, soul, jazz and hip-hop.” Etheric music, accompanied by rhythm and meter, rhyme and paraphor, allows listeners to see the listeners’ internal monologues about her truth, identity and authenticity, and the infinite possibilities of English as a gift to the world of these islands.
Brave Boy
Lasp (Brave House Music)
Braveboy is the “king” of international collaborators within SOCA and Island Hip-Hop Sphere. In this new EP, he does not disappoint and links with Venezuelan producer Joremy and his compatriots Lexo, Abel and Kone to explore the evolving nature. Soundtrack’s Carnival – Modernisation of Soca beyond Road Shorty Soul CaLypso Genesis from 50 years ago. The easily identifiable rhythm blends perfectly with sexy Spanish lyrics and points to potential crossover opportunities within the endless Latin American market.
John G
agyei (self-release)
John G’s music in Trinidad is known as “Caribbean roots.” This is a blend of roots revival aesthetics that came to the forefront in Jamaica in the early to mid-2010s, and Bob Marley’s laid back roots reggae, all self-explanatory “singerwriter/soulful Caribean style.” I am a child of hatred and slavery / I am a soul that still needs to be saved. This short 4-son EP’s finest production creates the perfect bed for the voice of G (the voice best described as the powerful grassland) and offers a gentle assertion of love and empowerment. JAH’s Blessing!
Teneille Young
Wildflower (self-release)
Dreams often come true. Just a few years ago, singer Teneiyu Young was doing cover songs on YouTube. Currently, she is baking the epic production skills of Jamaican hit maker “Mikey” Bennett and conducting this original four-song EP that shows the range of what modern reggae can do. The rocky atmosphere of lovers is present in some compositions, giving the record a throwback atmosphere. Young’s feathery, earthy voice evokes many female reggae singers in the late 1970s, creating a retro-like packaging.
Ronald Sniders
Penta (Night Dreamer)
Flautist Ronald Snijders is a hero of Surinamese Jazz and rarely sounds outside its diaspora (the Netherlands and its former colonies). His music on this new album has been a prominent effort for nearly 50 years. Kaseko Regional impact on rhythm, global uptake. Marketing terms like “Ethno-jazz” do not do justice to this album. Its epic vision is to place the front and center of the Caribbean heartbeat. And I’ll do that!
Mical teja
High power (teja music) • single
Trinidad Road March 2024, winner Mikalteha returns to 2025, solidifying his place as a leading Soka artist who understands the power of keen lyrics, making the general Riddim mediocre and, of course, unforgettable. Spirit combines, body, mind, mind and soul / no, we are not controlling/deprecating it with a higher force. The drums of the ancestors are combined with modern soca beats to enhance the song. Teja has mastered the hit SOCA music formula on Carnival Fetes and Road.
