Hounto Legba

Ever since Boukman Eksperyans and Boukan Ginen broke Haiti’s racine (roots) music internationally in the early 90s, the island’s musicians have been redefining the much misunderstood religion of vodou.  Far from a dark secret, this new world spiritual tradition tracing back to what is now the African nation of Benin is as much a source of pride for many of its practitioners as the hypnotic drumming and hauntingly beautiful songs that accompany it.  Erol Josué was initiated as a vodou priest in Haiti when he was 17.  Today, he lives in New York City, and on his solo debut, this talented singer and composer goes far beyond the formulas and conventions of racine.  In an expansive, original work, Josué merges the rhythms, melodies, and mysterious parables and proverbs of his spiritual life with jazz, pop, ambient trance music and more.

Songs rarely end where they begin.  Each is a journey, artfully crafted and arranged.  Within the evolving, backbeat-driven mesh of the opener “Hounto Legba,” master drummers summon Legba who “guards the sacred gates of the unseen.”  Sonically and spiritually the song initiates a kind of musical ceremony, in which Josué’s powerful, clear voice, often breaking with a kind of possessed, spiritual anguish, is the central player.  There are some beautiful melodies, as on “Balize,” a guitar-focused groove with a hint of funky samba, and a parable of escaping day to day life in search of a “new dream.”  The slow, hip-hop edged pump of “Timoun Yo” samples the life one might long to escape, namely that of Haiti’s kids, often denied education, frustrated and violated, but still “the hope of a handicapped country.” 

There are some great dance numbers, the celebratory “Vire Wonn” with its echoes of Haiti’s party hardy compas style, or the spare, clubby drive of “Yege Dahomen (Aloko).”  But nothing ever feels light.  The suffering of the physical world and flirtations with death—Josué’s own close call with drowning, and the daily risks of Haiti’s boat people—are ever balanced with visions of spiritual deliverance and transcendence.  Musically, Josué festoons his creations with a series of vivid sound elements—a children’s chorus on “Timoun Yo,” a deep-toned, lyrical violin on “Ochon Lavi,” a 12/8 hymn to natural forces, and elsewhere, the buzzing honk of the vaksin horns used in Haiti’s legendary rara street parades.  This is an ambitious and visionary work unlike any other Haitian CD you’ll find, and yet, 100% Haitian. 

Contributed by: Banning Eyre for www.afropop.org