Four great albums from this hip Haitian group – all packaged together in one nicely-priced set! First up is Back To Stay – a set that features Haitian grooves, but from the New York scene – making for an excellent mix of modes that really keeps things interesting! The core sounds have that bouncy vibe you'd expect from the Caribbean, but there's definitely some horn arrangements that show some American influences from funk and Latin, and maybe even a bit of jazz – all well-recorded here with a style that avoids any of the too-polished modes that can sometimes hold back a record like this. Tony Moise handles most of the arrangements and music – and also plays lead tenor – and titles include "Haiti", "Mariage", "Devine", and "Boat People". The other three albums – Les Bibles De Orchestras, Original Shleu Shleu, and Creation – all have a similar feel – and the 2CD package features 25 tracks in all! ~ Dusty Groove
Great rolling grooves from the mid 70s – a Haitian combo who work here with plenty of jazzy touches! Guitar is often layered strongly in the rhythms – in ways that link the music strongly to African highlife of the same period – with lots of lively interplay alongside the group's tight percussion, organ lines, and work on sax and flute. Some cuts have vocals, but the instrumental interplay is what really drives the record – and tracks include "La Fraicheur", "Reve Douce", "Souffrance", "Naked", "Relem Ta Rele", and "Good Vibrations". ~ Dusty Groove
A tropical combo, but one with a definite Haitian bent – from the French-language lyrics, right down to the warm rhythms at the core! The album's got a really great blend of trumpet, guitar, and accordion – the last of which is used more like an organ, in ways that are slow-paced, without the solo flourishes you'd hear in other genres – so that the instrument has this cool space-filling quality that's mighty nice! All three group members sing – and titles include "Papa Loco", "Plasir Teenagers", "Anita", "Information", "Timan Man Fe'm Douce", and "Information". ~ Dusty Groove