This month’s recommended listening from the Caribbean – Nigel Campbell reviews new music from Monty Alexander, Etienne Charles, John Squire and Rai Hana
Monty Alexander
D-Day! (Pee Wee!)
When an artist like legendary Jamaican jazz pianist Monty Alexander has released more than 70 albums over a six-decade career, one might argue that when he creates new music, he’s “making an event, not just a record” — a grander vision than a collection of songs, a series of thematic stories woven together. D-Day A perfect expression of General Alexander’s greatness. The 80th anniversary of the Normandy landings, D-Day (June 6th), also coincided with General Alexander’s 80th birthday. A coincidence resulted in a musical celebration that takes the listener on a sonic mood-journey from pre-war France, to “The Invasion”, to contemplation in the midst of war (“Oh Why”), to the national “Restoration” with its celebration of victory and joy of peace. Bob Marley’s classic reggae transcription of Haile Selassie’s 1963 UN speech “War”, in which Alexander delivered his call for peace, opens and closes this epic tribute to the concepts of war and peace.
Etienne Charles
Creole Orchestra (Culture Shock Records)
The history of Creole big bands in the Caribbean recalls the golden age of the French Antilles before World War II and the counter-evolution in the English-speaking and Spanish-speaking islands after the war. Early island immigrants found success in pre-war British orchestras. Trinidad-born Etienne brought a new awareness of the Creole aesthetic to jazz music and calypso with his big band arrangements. The blend of trumpet, trombone and saxophone is angular, but the rhythm never falls into academic dissonance. The music on this album is a blend of jazz songs, swing and calypso, further enhanced by the sublime singing of Grammy-nominated Rene Marie, swinging at a tempo that never accelerates beyond the pulse of a danceable human being. The American footprint in the Caribbean, further strengthened by the presence of a wartime naval base, had a resonant influence on the music heard here. Charles sublimely captures that spirit and returns the gaze brilliantly.
John Squire
Beautiful Dream (Self-Released) • single
Soul music is back in style. Expressing heartfelt love and longing, John Squire (formerly John John, get it?) has written a powerful serenade to love that is out of reach. “Beautiful Dream” continues the exploration of metaphors and allegorical lyrics common in his previous work dating back to 2013, exploring alternative avenues of Caribbean romance from a male perspective and delving into emotion. A series of descending chord couplets characterize the music and underpin the lyrics, whose simplicity conveys a message of desire without being overtly sensual. I wish I could fall and sleep long / You wake me up, my dead heart / This is a nightmare, I wish you were right there / Then I could wake up [to] My beautiful dream. Soul music should be internal and intellectual, not external and carnal – or at least that’s how it should be. The contrast between the gentle and solemn verses and choruses, the essence of hip hop and the vocal fragility of modern soul music make this song uplifting.
Rai Hana
Love Me (Self-Released) • single
Trinidadian rocker Ry Hana describes his new song “Love Me” as “an energetic, vibrant, loving pop-punk/pop-rock song.” This song is all of that and more. In the Caribbean, pop music that is uninspired and reflects obvious influences is easily accepted. Ry delivers a somewhat sinful ditty here, but wrapped in a familiar sheen that camouflages what’s inside. This is good songwriting. Subtle yet revealing lyrics that don’t overwhelm the listener. The singer is in love and needs it… now! Sung in the style of Olivia Rodrigo and by a host of former Disney teen stars turned pop princesses, this style was the perfect bandwagon to jump on. In today’s music industry, a certain familiarity is required before originality can be achieved. So if all of the marketing ideas work – a tropical diva, familiar metaphors, cleverly singable lyrics set to a catchy beat – Lai Hana is on her way to success.Yep, it works!
