Caribbean Party

The Caribbean is home to a string of tourism-friendly island nations and some of the world's most amazing music. Along with lush vegetation, sugar-sand beaches, and spicy food, each island is defined by its local sound, which remains fairly consistent whether the lyrics deal with partying, courtship, or social protest. This set is devoted to dance-oriented Haitian compas, Jamaican reggae, zouk from the French Antilles, and Trinidadian calypso's faster and more rhythmically intense descendant, soca (from SOul-CAlypso). The Martinican star Kali's "L'Histoire de Zouk" tells the tale via snippets from the past, while his neighbor Eric Virgal's hit, "Pa Fe Mwen La Pen," is a gooey romantic ballad. Krosfyah ups the ante with "Pump Me Up," a sassy carnival anthem that provides an enjoyable contrast to the low-down, earthy swing of Bunny Wailer's "Roots, Rock Reggae," and the bawdy double-entendres of Coalishun's "Ice Cream." --Christina Roden