''Jou a Rive'' is the debut album by the Haitian band

Boukan Ginen Boukan Ginen is a ''mizik rasin'' band from the city of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. ''Boukan'' is the Haitian Creole word for "bonfire" or "fire pit". ''Ginen'' is a specific Haitian name for the ancestral home of enslaved Africans. History Boukan ...

, released in 1995. It was originally released in Haiti in 1993. Most of the lyrics were sung in Creole. "Pale Pale W" had been voted Best Carnival Song at

Haitian Carnival Haitian Carnival ( ht, Kanaval, french: link=no, Carnaval) is a celebration held over several weeks each year leading up to Mardi Gras. ''Haitian Defile Kanaval'' is the Haitian Creole name of the main annual Mardi Gras carnival held in Port-au-P ...

. The band supported the album with a North American tour.

Production

Singer Eddy Francois and drummer Evens Seney had been members of Boukman Eksperyans. Produced by Yvon Cinè, the album's music was arranged by guitar player Jimmy Jean-Felix. Boukan Ginen included 10 members at the time of the recording. "Ede M Chante" is an

a cappella ''A cappella'' (, also , ; ) music is a performance by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Ren ...

song.

Critical reception

The ''

Chicago Reader The ''Chicago Reader'', or ''Reader'' (stylized as ЯEADER), is an American alternative weekly newspaper in Chicago, Illinois, noted for its literary style of journalism and coverage of the arts, particularly film and theater. It was founded by a ...

'' stated that "Eddy Francois' Bob Marley-esque vocals, guitarist Vladimir 'Jimmy' Jean-Felix's psychedelic flourishes, and slices of straight-up reggae combine with the album's slick production and pop glosses to temper the Haitian ra-ra rhythms and voodoo chants with an overt crossover appeal." ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'' wrote that Francois "delivers the group's anthemic songs with the political/spiritual fervor of a Bob Marley ... Seney and his four fellow drummers organize their patterns around a definite groove, and the gifted Jimmy Jean-Felix adds North American rock guitar licks." ''

The Gazette The Gazette (stylized as the GazettE), formerly known as , is a Japanese visual kei Rock music, rock band, formed in Kanagawa Prefecture, Kanagawa in early 2002.''Shoxx'' Vol 106 June 2007 pg 40-45 The band is currently signed to Sony Music Recor ...

'' noted that "the very fact that Boukman Eksperyans and Boukan Ginen invoke more dangerous voodoo and rara rock rhythms is a defiant political statement ... Their lyrics merely fan the flames." ''

Guitar Player ''Guitar Player'' is an American popular magazine for guitarists, founded in 1967 in San Jose, California. It contains articles, interviews, reviews and lessons of an eclectic collection of artists, genres and products. It has been in print si ...

'' thought that the album "presents their driving, effervescent blend of folkloric Haitian trance rhythms with rock, R&B, and reggae, all arranged by Jean-Felix." The ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...

'' determined that, "in places, Boukan Ginen seems to be practically folksy even as it infuses its hypercharged vodoun celebrations with scorching guitar licks and near-solid walls of percussion."

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

wrote that "BG's mix of rock and funk and compas and rara-derived rhythms is much hipper and less self-conscious than oukman Eksperyans's"

Track listing

References

{{authority control 1995 debut albums Boukan Ginen albums