Music of Martinique, the

Wapa Sakitanou – The Music of Martinique (Arc Music)
Reviewed by Sadie O., 8/20/05
African-based call-and-response with drums, from an
island in the Lesser Antilles (Caribbean). Every song
features a similar rhythm on a drum made from a rum
keg and a bamboo percussion instrument. Every song
features a lead vocalist and a chorus which responds
with the same 2-3 word response throughout the song.
There are no other instruments. It’s a very appealing
(very tribal) sound, and since they’re all in some
kind of Creole, theres’ no worry about FCCs. Try
track 13.

Track times are given, and most tracks really do all
sound the same…
Tracks 3-9 have a female lead singer, the rest have a
male (track 14 and 15 have both, taking turns)
Track 11, “Mesi Bon Die” translates clearly to “Merci
Bon Dieu”, so if you’re doing a religious set, this
fits right in. Whee!
Track 13 has an long bit without vocals, so you can
really hear the drums, which is nice.
Track 15 has a short introduction to the band in
English and no drums throughout.