Chronique no. 31 | Chronique Index

Sometime ago, I reviewed a CD by a group called K-Dans. I was describing the brand of Konpa dirèk they play as being laid back. Well, if you enjoyed it, you will probably like this new group called Konpa Kreyòl. Its style is quite reminiscent of K-Dans. I would definitely classify it among the «New Generation» groups. The Konpa dirèk it plays is calm, almost soothing. There is no noise, the melodies are nice and even if there is no big surprise, the music is crisp, the mixing is good. Unlike quite a few New Generation groups, the lyrics are more meaningful than what you would otherwise expect. Not that they particularly stand out, but at least, they are not as flat as those of some groups which shall remain nameless. These guys seem to be more sentimental than anything else. Listen to tune No. 2 «Si'w vle'm», No. 4 «Sad Story» or tune No. 7 «Titanik», among others. The lyrics reflect a kind of romantic naivete accentuated by the keyboard program and melodic lines chosen by the keyboard player.

I am also happy to report that the Kreyòl spelling is pretty good on the CD. The only confusion comes from the fact that the order of the songs in the booklet accompanying the CD does not match the order indicated on the back of the CD. Fortunately, this only affects the form, not the substance of the CD which, I find, makes good dancing music.

From the New Generation to the Old, there is indeed quite a gap between Konpa Kreyòl and Orchestre Septentrional from Cap-Haïtien. When the so-called Mini-Jazz revolution took place in the 70s, eliminating the horn section, Orchestre Septentrional, Orchestre Tropicana, and Jazz des Jeunes were the only big bands which were not swept away by the guitar crazy new brand of young musicians. This album marks the 50th Anniversary of the group and what a record ! In the liner notes, Wildrid Tony Hyppolite, a «declared Expert on Septentrional», underlines the variety which characterizes the group's play which recorded a total of 303 songs on 41 discs. This is quite a production.

This album has some nice tunes on it. I enjoyed listening to Tune No. 4 «Bonjour Marie», a new version of one of Septen's many hits. In terms of message, Tunes No. 6 and 10 are quite significant. Tune No. 6 deals with what is probably the most crucial and blaring problem in Haiti: Education. The singer encourages parents not to lose hope and asks authorities to give priority to education and to think Haiti first. He could not have said it better. For some reason which baffles me, the mixing on this song came out pretty bad. The horn section sounds far away and I wonder if this particularly song was mixed in another studio or if the sound engineer feel asleep at the wheels. The difference in sound with the other songs is striking.But that put aside, it remains my favorite song on the CD. Tune No. 10 deals with travails of the small farmers, something we all know is quite problematic given the conditions in which they work. It is played on a nice beat recalling Coupé Cloué. If you are a fan of Septentrional - and I know there are quite a few out there - you will probably add this CD to your collection, even though I find that this is not necessarily Septen's best album.

Recently, quite a few Haitian guitar players have come out with their own CD and Richard Augustin has joined the crowd. In fact this is his second CD and his music has definitely matured. The title tune «Kafe» which opens the CD is played on a light Brazilian samba which is very nice. Augustin even uses the «Cuica», a typically Brazilian percussion instrument which adds a lot of color to the music. Augustin is also quite a versatile musician, playing not only the guitar, but also the bass,the drums, the conga, keyboard etc. I particularly like tune No. 3 «What if», in which Augustin plays the keyboard. This is a very meditative song with very nice melodious lines which express Augustin's lyricism.

It is not easy to classify Augustin's style. He plays different rhythms, alternating between some Coupé Cloué, some bossa nova or some «méringue douce». Nevertheless, I would place him in the soft music category. I find the mixing somewhat lacking though. Some of the instruments do not sound clear enough. Besides his guitar playing, Augustin is quite a composer, having written most of the songs on the album. So, if you want some soft music, you may want to check out Augustin's CD.

Serge Bellegarde