Music Tuesdays

Hi all,

Today is Music Tuesday.  I will discuss a Haitian artist, band or genre, that I am really into and want to share.  You can all suggest music as well.  I always enjoy 'discovering' a new to me artist or song.  I will attempt to cover all genres.  

Today, I want to highlight a genre of Haitian music, souk.  Zouk, like Kompa is a relatively popular genre of music in Haiti.  Zouk is also very popular in Francophone Africa, and the Francophone West Indies, France and in the Cape Verde, known as Cabo Zouk.   Click on the song title, and you will be taken to the video on Youtube.

Ave 'w (With You)
Daan Junior is one of my favorite Haitian zouk artists.  He sings both zouk and kompa music.  This song is about love (as if these songs are about anything else).  He is singing about how much he wants to be with this woman. He wants to be with her wherever she sleeps, wake up with her in good and bad times.  He doesn't know what to say to her, but he is going to lose his mind if she isn't in his life.

Je L'Aime A Mourir (I love her to death)
Jacques Sauveur Jean or Jackito as he is better known, is a singer who is very popular for his cover of Je l'aime a mourir.    This song is an old French classic.  It is about a man's love for his woman and how she is the greatest and everything is better with her and because of her.  Here's a link to the English translation

Je Femen (Eyes Shut)
This ballad is by Alan Cave, one of the most popular Haitian singers alive.  He also has a lot of crossover appeal, because I know many African Americans and other Caribbeans who are familiar with some of his music.

Alan is singing about his love for this woman.  He tells her no matter where she goes, he will follow her with his eyes shut, he'll even follow her to hell.  He is willing to give her anything that her heart desires.  Whenever he is with her he feels like he is great, he feels like he is on fire, and his love for her takes the form of song.

Some of my other favorite zouk artists are Nelson Freitas, Soumia, Kaysha and Teeyah.  Who are some of your fave zouk artists?