Vini Pou
Studio album by
Kassav'
Released1987
GenreZouk[1]
LabelColumbia[2]
ProducerJacob F. Desvarieux
Kassav' chronology
An-ba-chen'n la
(1985)		 Vini Pou
(1987)		 Majestik Zouk
(1989)

Vini Pou is an album by the Guadeloupean band Kassav', released in 1987.[3][4] It went gold in its first two weeks of release and was their first album to be widely distributed in the United States.[5][6] Kassav', as a 16-piece unit, supported the album with a North American tour.[7][8]

Production

Produced by Jacob F. Desvarieux, the album was recorded in Paris.[9][10] Vini Pou used five singers; many songs were sung Creole.[11][12] Earth, Wind & Fire's horn section played on the album.[13]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[14]
Robert ChristgauB[15]
MusicHound World: The Essential Album Guide[9]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[16]

Robert Christgau called the album "the latest, the longest and the easiest to find LP from the guys who invented world dance music," writing that "the production has gained depth."[15] Newsday noted that "the rhythms are often derived from the buoyant bop of Haiti's cadance and compas, a major element in Zouk."[17] USA Today deemed Vini Pou "primo zouk," noticing the "gloss of disco and soul."[18]

The New York Times wrote that "the songs step out at a brisk clip, their three-chord harmonies lilting in syncopation like a carousel at full tilt; everywhere, the beat stutters and skips behind ear-catching, perfectly calculated riffs or sounds"; Jon Pareles later listed Vini Pou as the best album of 1988.[19][11] The Washington Post determined that "Zairean guitar licks are offset by American funk and soul horn charts; synth riffs and buoyant vocals harmonies abound, and the dance mixes have a distinctly disco/Euro-pop sheen."[20]

AllMusic labeled the album "one of their weaker efforts."[14] MusicHound World: The Essential Album Guide stated that "the balance between raw rhythm and studio polish is at its apex."[9]

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."Syé Bwa (Sawing Wood)" 
2."Flash' (Flash)" 
3."Souf' Zouk (Breath of Love)" 
4."Zou (Zou)" 
5."Soleil (Sun)" 
6."Ayen Pa Mòl' (Nothing Is the Matter)" 
7."Zòt' Vini Pou (Others Come For ...)" 
8."Es' Sé An La Fèt' (Is It a Party)" 
9."Rosa (Rosa)" 
10."Palé Mwen Dous' (Tell Me Sweet Things)" 
11."Chouboulé" 

References

  1. ↑ Guilbault, Jocelyne; Averill, Gage; Benoit, Edouard; Rabess, Gregory (November 24, 1993). "Zouk: World Music in the West Indies". University of Chicago Press – via Google Books.
  2. ↑ Snowden, Don (19 Nov 1988). "It's Still the Universal Language: Caribbean Roots of Kassav'". Calendar. Los Angeles Times. p. 1.
  3. ↑ Berrian, Brenda F. (June 15, 2000). "Awakening Spaces: French Caribbean Popular Songs, Music, and Culture". University of Chicago Press – via Google Books.
  4. ↑ Dibbell, Julian (Dec 1988). "Spins". Spin. 4 (9): 106–107.
  5. ↑ Winders, J. (June 5, 2007). "Paris Africain: Rhythms of the African Diaspora". Springer – via Google Books.
  6. ↑ Morse, Steve (27 Nov 1988). "WORLD BEAT CROSSES ALL BOUNDARIES". The Boston Globe. p. B13.
  7. ↑ Adrianson, Doug (November 18, 1988). "CARIBBEAN MUSIC SHOW GIVES MIAMI BAND ITS BIG CHANCE". Miami Herald. p. 19D.
  8. ↑ Pareles, Jon (18 Nov 1988). "Kassav' and Tabou Combo, the Ritz". The New York Times. p. C19.
  9. 1 2 3 MusicHound World: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 2000. pp. 368–370.
  10. ↑ Jones, Andrew (26 May 1988). "Kassav' are ambassadors of zouk". The Gazette. Montreal. p. C13.
  11. 1 2 Pareles, Jon (25 Dec 1988). "Trendlets, Revivals and a League of Women". The New York Times. p. A27.
  12. ↑ Hilburn, Robert (4 Dec 1988). "From Dublin, New York, Toronto, Paris". Calendar. Los Angeles Times. p. 64.
  13. ↑ Feist, Daniel (11 June 1989). "Beating a track to the world sounds begins with research". The Gazette. Montreal. p. H6.
  14. 1 2 "Kassav' - Vini Pou Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic" – via www.allmusic.com.
  15. 1 2 "Robert Christgau: CG: Kassav'". www.robertchristgau.com.
  16. ↑ The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 388.
  17. ↑ Robins, Wayne (27 May 1988). "Zouk: A Caribbean Stew of Ethnic Pop". Weekend. Newsday. p. 11.
  18. ↑ Ayers, Anne (6 Dec 1988). "Albums with the international beat". USA Today. p. 6D.
  19. ↑ Pareles, Jon (29 May 1988). "Zouk, a Distinctive, Infectious Dance Music". The New York Times. p. A23.
  20. ↑ Joyce, Mike (25 Nov 1988). "Kassav a' Zouk: Creole-Salsa Squash". The Washington Post. p. N22.
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