Soft

This weekend, M. and I had a chance to hear a local group, Soft, play live at a festival celebrating native Caribbean culture and history. Soft released their first album, Kadans a péyi-la, in 2005, selling more than 11,000 copies in four months. Vocals are led by Fred Deshayes, who is also lead guitar. Base is played by Joël Larochelle, saxophone by Phillipe Sadikalay, and percussion by Didier Juste.

I'm not sure how to categorize Soft's music but I believe smooth jazz, defined as a sub-genre of jazz that is "influenced stylistically by R&B, funk and pop," seems close. But, 'smooth jazz' makes me think of curly-maned Kenny G. There are surely similarities: Kenny G plays the soprano saxophone, and so does Sadikalay, giving the music that distinctive elevator quality. But I think it would be more accurate to describe it as smooth Guadeloupean jazz, a sub-genre of jazz stylistically influenced by zouk, gwo ka, konpa, even some biguine - all music from Guadeloupe.

Unlike Kenny G, it could be said that Soft has an agenda. Their lyrics, written mainly in creole, focus on social issues of Guadeloupe. The top hit from that first album, Krim cont la Gwadloup (Crime contre la Guadeloupe, Crimes against Guadeloupe), for example, criticizes local politicians for their contributions to the various social and economic ills of the island.

Below, the single Kadans a péyi-la and the lyrics. Unfortunately, I don't know any créole beyond a few words and simple phrases, so I cannot give you a translation. If I work it out, though, I'll post it here, too.

Kadans a peyi la

Yo enmé nati-la Yo pa enmé pèp-la An vérité yo pa/pa’a santi kadans a péyi-la Yo pa vlé Sentélwa Yo pa vlé tann Mawsèl Lolya (Marcel Lollia An vérité yo pa enmé lokans a péyi-la Mé soufriyè pa ka dòmi Kon vou kon mwen i ka bouyi Nenpòt ki jou sa ké pété Sé li ka chayé mwen Sé sa ka brilé mwen Sé li k’ay menné nou pli wo, pli wo Refrain/rèfren Padon manman padon papa Nou pa vlé péyi-la konsa Si dlo vini an zyé an nou Féblès pa k’ay pran kò an nou woy E pa k’ay ni mélankoli E nenpòt ki filozofi Lèw vwè péyi an nou ké lévé Tam pi tam tam pi tam tanbou ké woulé An péyi-la pa ni pon rèv Ji lèspérans nou mèt an grèv Ni twòp moun ki ka ralanti Kadans a péyi-la Sé tèt vid, sé nwa séré Chanté pawòl malélivé E sé nou menm ka mènasé mizik a péyi-la Mé soufriyè pa ka dòmi Kon vou kon mwen i ka bouyi Nenpòt ki jou sa ké pété Soufwans a péyi-la (refrain)

Two years after their stunning success, Soft (minus Juste) released Partout étranger. The group then released a 'best of' album (though it seemed hardly necessary, given they've only released two albums previous). The song Lanmou o piyaj featured on their second album, but an accompanying music video - their first - was released this past May:





(1)
Soft. Kadans a péyi-la. 2005.





(2)
Soft. Partout étranger. 2007.





(3)
Soft. Best of Soft. 2008.

Les Divas

While Zouk remains very popular in Guadeloupe, it is not the music that younger people listen to. Instead, the most popular artists sing music that is a mixture of zouk and R&B. Mehdy Custos, born in Pointe-à-Pitre, is a zouk/r+b artist who has been able to transform local celebrity to national recognition. His new album, Ouvrir mes ailes, comes out at the end of the month. The single, Mes Divas, is out now and getting play in anticipation of the album.



Here are the lyrics:

Come, come, come, come, come... Mes divas, chauffez les divas Come, come, come in dynamite-mite made in Ibiza Mes divas, chauffez les divas Come, come, come in dynamite-mite mite... Mes divas, chauffez les divas Come, come...... C’est carrément que j’joins ce soir dans la salle Y a des divas, des belles gosses Elles arrivent de partout, elles demandent du zouk Et surtout Mehdy Custos Y en a qui sont happy dans l’coin V.I.P. Et puis y en a qui suffoquent Les mecs sont là aussi, certains sont aigris Et d’autres me donnent la force On y va Il est temps de se réchauffer De danser, de chanter, de se mettre à bouger On y va En hiver ou bien en été Quelque soit la saison ou bien le mois de l’année On y va C’est l’heure H et le moment M Pour ceux que le zouk entraîne sur les pistes et les arènes On y va A la mode caribéenne Medhy va sur la scène [Chorus] Come, come, come Come, come, come in dynamite-mite made in Ibiza Mes divas, chauffez les divas De Point-à-pitre à Guyana en passant par Madinina Mes divas, chauffez les divas Come, come, come in dynamite-mite made in Ibiza Mes divas, chauffez les divas De Paris à la Réunion en Afrique et aux USA Mes divas, chauffez les divas Elles sont fans d’RNB et de mélodies Qui viennent de la caribbean pop Elles arrivent en baggy, en robes fleuries En pantacourts, en poum poum short Elles sont jeunes et jolies, ont des cheveux gris Y en a de toutes les sortes Des grandes et des petites, des rondes et des slim Des femmes mûres et des adolescentes [Repeat section 2] Ladies are you Come, come, come, come, come…. Mes divas, chauffez les divas [Chorus x 2] Come, come, come Come, come, come in dynamite-mite mite… Mes divas, chauffez les divas Come, come, come in dynamite-mite mite… Mes divas, chauffez les divas Come, come, come in dynamite-mite mite… Come, come, come in dynamite-mite mite… (alé di yo) Mes divas, chauffez les divas, divas

Come, come, come, come, come... My divas, warm up the divas Come, come, come in dynamite-mite made in Ibiza My divas, warm up the divas Come, come, come in dynamite-mite mite... My divas, warm up the divas Come, come...... I'm definitely coming to start the party tonight. There are divas, beautiful girls They come from everywhere, they ask for zouk Especially Mehdy Custos Some are happy in the V.I.P corner Some are suffocating The guys are there also, some are bitter And others give me strength Let's go Its time to heat ourselves up again To dance, to sing, to get moving Let's go In winter or even in summer No matter the season or the month in the year Let's go It's hour H and moment M For those who are led to the dance floor and the arenas by zouk Let's go Carribeen style Medhy coming on the scene [Chorus] Come, come, come Come, come, come in dynamite-mite made in Ibiza My divas, heat up the divas From Point-à-pitre to Guyana passing by Madinina My divas, heat up the divas Come, come, come in dynamite-mite made in Ibiza My divas, heat up the divas From Paris to Réunion in Africa and in the USA My divas, heat up the divas They're fans of RnB and melodies That come from caribbean pop They arrive in baggy jeans, in flowery dresses In shorts, in short shorts They're young and pretty, have gray hair There's all types Tall and short, round and thin Mature and young women [Repeat section 2] Ladies are you Come, come, come, come, come…. My divas, heat up les divas [Chorus x 2] Come, come, come Come, come, come in dynamite-mite mite… My divas, heat up the divas Come, come, come in dynamite-mite mite… My divas, heat up the divas Come, come, come in dynamite-mite mite… Come, come, come in dynamite-mite mite… (alé di yo) My divas, heat up divas, divas

Its not groundbreaking stuff, but catchy. Last summer, he scored a very popular single with Elles Demandent.

Zouk

Music from the US and from France get a lot of play in Guadeloupe. But, there are still lots of local artists. Sure, there's rap and RnB, but there is also zouk, which is local music with African and American influences. Musicians from Guadeloupe were the ones who created this style, and so it really is the music of choice here. I don't really think I can describe what the music is like in words, but its distinctive. It's always upbeat and the tempo is fast. And, often (though its not a requirement) the words are sung in creole. But, the lyrics don't really matter, because its party music. As long as its catchy, its popular.

The clip is of Kassav, the group that is credited with creating Zouk.