This month’s listening picks from the Caribbean — featuring new music by Nadia Batson; coffee; Rachel Kerr; Elan Trotman; Arnaud Dolmen; and Teddyson John
Nadia Batson
Coconut Girl (Fox Fuse)
This Trinidadian singer-songwriter and now bona fide star has released her first full-length album after a career that has seen her rise through the ranks of female soca artists from the islands. An introductory piece spoken by Cherelle Sambrano tells us that Batson is “an aphrodisiac of Caribbean passion, rooted deep in the richest soil. It produces the most essential oils. She is everything.” And with that, we are immersed in that sweetness. Batson’s songs inspire dancing and allow listeners to repeat lyrics that speak clearly of desire, of joy, of ambition.
Fourteen tracks cover a range of topics, all linked by that trademark penetrating voice, and a musical profile that spans various island genres – zouk, soca, bouyon, island pop are heard – lending credit to her growing fame as a favorite in the Caribbean. Batson sings of relationships and carnal desires without the crudeness of the male gaze. This female perspective depicts the misogyny of soca as playful mockery and cogent observations on brio and Caribbean life. She looks back and mocks traditional roles: I don’t need your money baby / I just want your waist / But if you insist on spending baby / I still go get itshe sings in “Sugar Daddy”.
A standout track is the album’s closer, “Because of You”—a gloriously harmonized a cappella song that celebrates an unspoken driving force. We can assume it’s a higher power or maybe a lover and friend, but the song rings true. Nadia Batson is a hit singer for many carnivals, and with this album, she is heading for a career beyond Caribbean festivals.
Coffee
Talented (RCA Records)
Koffee is the new face of Jamaican dancehall music and with this debut full-length album, the Grammy winner is changing the way we dance and sing along to dancehall. Modern production, global vision, positive atmosphere. She sings in “West Indies”: Comes from the West Indies / And you know say we give them the best indeed. We expect no less. A gift.
Rachel Kerr
Masterpeace (Rachel Kerr Music)
On her debut LP, this multidisciplinary UK-born and based artist celebrates her deep Jamaican roots by juxtaposing the cadence of Patois against music from her metropolitan London base – gospel, reggae, pop, soul and R&B – giving the 11 songs here a universal appeal. The honest whitewash of her triumph over fears and insecurities gives them dignity.
Elan Trotman
Brighter Days Ahead (Music Island)
Bajan saxman Elan Trotman is a prolific musician who used a break from live performances during the pandemic to continue his creation of an unparalleled body of contemporary jazz music for the discerning masses. Enhanced by a host of guest performers, this album provides a soothing Caribbean instrumental soundtrack to a hopeful future.
Arnaud Dolmen
Adjustment (GAYA)
Guadeloupe drummer Arnaud Dolmen says this, his second album, is about “how we adapt and adapt … The unexpected should be a source of strength.” Within it, Kwéyòl jazz, Vodou lyricism, and native gwo ka drum rhythms mix and influence instruments that echo the Creole past and point to new ways of assimilation. Antillean music developed.
Teddyson John
Greetings (Self Released) • Single
A UK newspaper once wrote: “In St Lucia, country is not so much a musical genre as a national obsession”. St Lucian Teddyson John explores the possibilities, fusing a rhythmic bluegrass mandolin style with a subtle Dennery Segment beat to create a fun soca tune that can get everyone dancing a lap — or wining like it’s a carnival. Yee-haw!
