Malou Beauvoir – Spiritwalker
Malou Beauvoir – Spiritwalker (Panthera Music International, 2018)
Haitian-American vocalist, actress and songwriter Malou Beauvoir celebrates her Haitian roots and vodou in Spiritwalker. The album crosses over into solid world music territory with a superb fusion of Haitian rhythms and melodies, jazz, neo-soul, reggae, funk, Cuban influences and, on “Rasenbleman,” irresistible cutting edge electronic dance music.
The song selection includes traditional folk songs and originals by Malou Beauvoir in Haitian Creole and English. “I wanted these songs that we grew up with – their values, their principles, the ideas behind them –to become hip, to become accessible to the younger generation so that we can use our own identity to express our frustration, and motivate each of us, as individuals, to bring about change.”
Spiritwalker features an international cast of first class musicians from Haiti, the USA, Cuba and Japan: Chico Boyer on bass, percussion and backing vocals; Paul Beaubrun on guitar and vocals; Sirgo Decius on percussion; Jean Guy Rene on percussion; Cheff Loncher on keyboards and programming; Axel Laugart on piano, keyboards and Spanish-language vocals; Yayoi Ikawa on piano; Hiroyuki Yamada on guitar; Jon Gordon on guitar; Calvin Jones on bass; and Gashford Guillaume on drums.
The last track, from the album “Is This Love” includes Bobby Mann on guitar; Andy Ezrin on piano; Ben Whitman on drums and percussion; and David Finck on bass.
Spiritwalker is a masterfully-crafted, captivating contemporary album rooted in Haitian tradition.
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Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.