Jou a Rive
| Jou a Rive | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1995 | |||
| Studio | Audiotek | |||
| Genre | Mizik rasin[1] | |||
| Label | Xenophile[2] | |||
| Producer | Yvon Cinè | |||
| Boukan Ginen chronology | ||||
| ||||
Jou a Rive is the debut album by the Haitian band Boukan Ginen, released in 1995.[3][4] It was originally released in Haiti in 1993. Most of the lyrics were sung in Creole.[5] "Pale Pale W" had been voted Best Carnival Song at Haitian Carnival.[6] The band supported the album with a North American tour.[7]
Production[edit]
Singer Eddy Francois and drummer Evens Seney had been members of Boukman Eksperyans.[8] Produced by Yvon Cinè, the album's music was arranged by guitar player Jimmy Jean-Felix.[9][10] Boukan Ginen included 10 members at the time of the recording.[11] "Ede M Chante" is an a cappella song.[12]
Critical reception[edit]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [13] |
| DownBeat |  [14] |
| MusicHound World: The Essential Album Guide | [9] |
| The Sydney Morning Herald | [5] |
The Chicago Reader stated that "Eddy Francois' Bob Marley-esque vocals, guitarist Vladimir 'Jimmy' Jean-Felix's psychedelic flourishes, and slices of straight-up reggae combine with the album's slick production and pop glosses to temper the Haitian ra-ra rhythms and voodoo chants with an overt crossover appeal."[15] The Washington Post wrote that Francois "delivers the group's anthemic songs with the political/spiritual fervor of a Bob Marley... Seney and his four fellow drummers organize their patterns around a definite groove, and the gifted Jimmy Jean-Felix adds North American rock guitar licks."[6]
The Gazette noted that "the very fact that Boukman Eksperyans and Boukan Ginen invoke more dangerous voodoo and rara rock rhythms is a defiant political statement... Their lyrics merely fan the flames."[16] Guitar Player thought that the album "presents their driving, effervescent blend of folkloric Haitian trance rhythms with rock, R&B, and reggae, all arranged by Jean-Felix."[10] The Chicago Tribune determined that, "in places, Boukan Ginen seems to be practically folksy even as it infuses its hypercharged vodoun celebrations with scorching guitar licks and near-solid walls of percussion."[17]
AllMusic wrote that "BG's mix of rock and funk and compas and rara-derived rhythms is much hipper and less self-conscious than [Boukman Eksperyans's]."[13]
Track listing[edit]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Nati Kongo" | |
| 2. | "Nèg Anwo" | |
| 3. | "Jou a Rive" | |
| 4. | "Ede M Chante" | |
| 5. | "Pale Pale W" | |
| 6. | "Tande" | |
| 7. | "Sa Rèd" | |
| 8. | "Lib" | |
| 9. | "Travay" | |
| 10. | "An n Ale Wè" | |
| 11. | "Boukan Tou Limin" |
References[edit]
- ^ Strauss, Neil (25 July 1995). "In Celebration of a Brightly Shining Future". The New York Times. p. C13.
- ^ Hebblethwaite, Benjamin (September 30, 2021). A Transatlantic History of Haitian Vodou: Rasin Figuier, Rasin Bwa Kayiman, and the Rada and Gede Rites. Univ. Press of Mississippi.
- ^ "Boukan Ginen Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More". AllMusic.
- ^ Vilsaint, Fequiere; Hall, Michael R. (August 21, 2021). Historical Dictionary of Haiti. Rowman & Littlefield.
- ^ a b Elder, Bruce (October 16, 1995). "Fascinating journey – World". The Guide. The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 12.
- ^ a b "Spiritual Fervor of Boukan Ginen". The Washington Post. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
- ^ Katz, Larry (July 21, 1995). "Boukan Ginen Jou a Rive". Boston Herald. p. S16.
- ^ Denselow, Robin (3 Mar 1995). "World music". The Guardian. p. T14.
- ^ a b MusicHound World: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 2000. p. 104.
- ^ a b Birnbaum, Larry (Nov 1995). "Jimmy Jean-Felix: The voodoo Van Halen". Guitar Player. Vol. 29, no. 11. p. 22.
- ^ McCallister, Jared (July 23, 1995). "Roots-rockers to play Central Park". Suburban. Daily News. p. 16.
- ^ Sweeney, Philip (14 July 1995). "Fire down below". Pop. The Independent. p. 12.
- ^ a b "Jou a Rive". AllMusic.
- ^ Birnbaum, Larry (Jun 1995). "Third World exotica — Jou a Rive by Boukan Ginen". DownBeat. Vol. 62, no. 6. p. 58.
- ^ Margasak, Peter (February 8, 1996). "Spot Check". Chicago Reader.
- ^ Feist, Daniel (30 July 1994). "Out of Haiti's horror comes great music". The Gazette. p. D7.
- ^ Preston, Rohan B. (9 Feb 1996). "'Echoes of Africa' Tells It Like It Was—and Is—with Verve". Friday. Chicago Tribune. p. 6.
