The Haitian ensemble maintain their mission of national regeneration with a second album that embraces New Orleans, a close neighbour and cultural cousin. It’s a love affair spawned when Lakou Mizik played the city’s 2016 jazz festival, with a slew of local luminaries on board, among them singers Leyla McCalla and Cyril Neville, and horn-heavy outfits the Soul Rebels and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band. Also present are Arcade Fire’s Win Butler and Régine Chassagne, the latter’s Haitian parents having fled north during the island’s 1960s reign of terror.
Like its predecessor, HaitiaNola proves a rich stew of Caribbean flavours delivered with Creole lyrics. The loping rhythms of Antillean compas and Jamaican reggaeton underpin several numbers, including Pistach Grye (Salted Peanuts), where Trombone Shorty has a guest spot. There are salutations to the deities of vodou, assorted declarations of joy and defiance, and blasts of the “rara cornet”, a homegrown monster bugle. An itchy version of New Orleans standard Iko Iko is one stand-out, while Leyla McCalla and her cello add a touch of magic to the massed vocals of Rasanbleman, a moment of reflection and devotion.
