Boukman Eksperyans
Kanaval Rasin
Converge (www.boukman.com)

There could be no better representative of Haitian music than Boukman Eksperyans. The group is beloved by Haitians not only for its musicality, but also for its political courage. Boukman has been at the heart of Haiti's stormy politics, creating songs that became rallying cries for average Haitians. On their latest album, Boukman has assembled carnival songs from each of its ten years, including a new one for this year. While carnival is usually thought of as a care-free celebration, in a repressive country like Haiti, the liberty it unleashes can take on a distinctly political hue.

Listening to Boukman's carnival themes, it is easy to imagine a huge street procession singing in unison and gathering steam as the hours go by. With a mix of electronic and hand-played percussion, the group sets a basic matrix of rhythms, then does call-and-response chanting over it. The lyrics are not explicit in their politics, but the simply stated messages are unmistakable. In the nine-minute "Ke'm Pa Sot�" the group sings again and again, "My blood is running...They give me a burden to carry/I'm not going to carry it."

Boukman may be happy to see Haiti's dictators out of power, but their country is still deeply troubled, so they continue to sing to rally their people's spirits. - Marty Lipp