ISLAND SOUL
Clarence Curvan and His Mod Sounds: Calypsoul
Amral's Trinidad Cavaliers Steel Orcheestra: 90% of Me Is You
From Calypsoul (Strut 2008)
The Caribbean has long been one of the most fertile musical zones in the Americas - reggae from Jamaica and the myriad Cuban styles are obvious examples but so is bachata from the Dominican Republic, bomba from Puerto Rico, and, of course, calypso from Trinidad, etc. At the same time, because the Caribbean is also a busily trafficked commercial and leisure area, with close proximity to American music via radio, sailors, etc., it is part of a complex crossroads of sound and thus you hear influences travel back and forth across the Americas/Antilles.
Part of that exchange is captured in a new compilation, Calypsoul: Caribbean Soul 1969-1979. 20 tracks deep, the comp offers a peek inside how the diaspora of American pop styles, especially soul, funk, and disco - entered, influenced and bounced back from sites all around the Caribbean during the 1970s. The phenom of reggae soul has already been well looked at but not so with the other islands.
The title track, "Calypsoul" comes from the Trinidadian outfit Clarence Curvan and His Mod Sounds and you can hear the sound clash of different influences all meeting here. Obviously, there's the party-like feel of calypso itself, but also hints of ska, a brassy dose of jazz, and an absolutely swinging rhythm section that wouldn't be out of place in a New Orleans second line (check out the short breakbeat for some of that syncopated science).
The second song I included is basically a small, pet cause of mine: steel drum cover songs. Steel drum has such a distinctive sound and appears so frequently in various pop culture outlets (especially commercials) that it's quite easy for it to seem like some bubblegum tourist cliche. But good steel drum can be great since the sound of the drums are so unique and can put an intriguing sonic spin on otherwise familiar songs. Case in point: Amral's Trinidad Cavaliers Steel Orchestra covering Gwen McCrae's great Miami soul hit, "90% of Me Is You." It goes heavy on the steel drum sound but the use of a separate trap set helps balance out the percussion and elevates the song from pina colada beach tune to some funky club smash.
Tags: caribbean
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