As promised, I am going to take a look at Timeless, Volume 1 by Alan Cave. If you missed the Kreyolicious review of Volume 2, CLICK HERE.

CD Image via HMI PIX

The song sequence strategy on this volume is very strong.

Sa Wap Fè Avè’m [Whatcha Gonna Do With Me?]

I truly like the vulnerability on this one. Whatcha gonna do with me…the singer’s delivery is flawless on this track. And, so much begging and pleading. Definitely my type of song.

About time a man is suffering! God knows that women go through so much when it comes to love.

But you almost feel sorry (slightly) for the narrator, when he howls, “Map mande’w ki sa wap fè avè’m. M’pèdi lanmou” in this super-pathetic voice.

Whappen [What Happened]

Two things can happen with the song that opens an album. Scenario one: it’s really boring and plain and its just there as a filler. Scenario two: it’s going to end up being one of the best tracks on the album, and is placed strategically at the beginning of the record to make you anticipate even better tracks. Which category does “Whappen” belong to? The second. The production is very rowdy, and I guess it’s meant to corroborate with the narrator’s tumultuous feelings.

I love how he does a syllable-by-syllable delivery at the lyrics towards the beginning, like a little kindergartener who’s learning to pronounce words for the first time. A great way to practice your Creole and enhance your vocabulary. Check out the lyrics:

Lan-mou sa bèl kon lakansyèl
Li pa ka re-te kon-fi-dan-syèl…

Wout kè mwen ekri nan pla men’w
Lavi mwen trase anba pye ou
Lanmou sa se yon pòt san seri
San bato li travèse lanmè
San paspò, li fè tout latè

This love is stunning like a rainbow
It can’t possibly be kept on the hush-hush

The roadways of my heart are written in the palms of your hand
My life’s roadmap is etched under the soles of your feet
This love is like a door without a lock
It travels the world’s waters without a boat
Without as much as a passport, it tours the whole planet

My goodness! That’s some serious infatuation. No word on how the girl who inspires the “Whappen” feels about this and whether the obsession is requited. Let’s hope she feels this way as well. Otherwise, that’s a whole waste of beautiful emotions.

Café Au Lait [Milk in the Coffee]

This one is sung in French. It’s cutesie-pie and romantic sounding. The arrangements are nice, and the melody sweet as ripe pears.

Jouk Nan Zo

“Fanm sa renmen mwen jis nan zo/Sa’w tande a tèt mwen cho”—-This girl loves me down to my bones/She sends my mind reeling. So begins this song, that features Mikaben.

I like how this strong is structured. Hook first, then bridge, then body. This production on this track is very bouncy. An attention-catcher on Volume, 1.

Lil Mama

I didn’t find this song to be especially memorable. It’s an ideal track to liven up things…you know when you’re having a homey get-together, and the host is less than interesting, and the DJ tries to spruce up things…The singer decided to add a dance version of “Lil Mama”, sequenced towards the end of the album. This time around, it’s livened up by an artist who goes by the name Johnzo.

San Ou M’Se [Without You, I’m—]

Do you realize that half of the love songs we’re served with fall along the line of co-dependence? Well, this song is one of those and I rather liked it. For some reason, it called to mind another of this singer’s songs…”Ou Se”. Kinda of like a reversal of it—so to speak. On “San Ou M’Se”, Alan Cave/the narrator has a whole laundry list of how life will be for him without the woman he loves.

San ou M’se
Yon twoudabdou san tanbou
Yon inosan ki kondane
Yon batiman san fondasyon
Yon gita nèf ak kòd kase
Yon finisman san kòmansman

Without you
I’m a street musician without his drums
An innocent who’s been found guilty
A boat without a platform
A brand new guitar with broken chords
A conclusion without a beginning

I truly loved those similes. Just when you thought man had run out of words to express himself and his love.

Ou Pap Pi Bon

After having listened to “San Ou M’Se”, this song sounded just standard. I like the guitar that comes in around 1:53, but other than that, it didn’t stand out too much for me. It’s not a bad song…it’s not a blah track or anything. It was just plain.

Good Thing

There are two versions of this song, including a world version that incorporates pop.

Grave Sou Kè’m [Etched On My Heart]

Alan Cave’s voice is the highlight of “Grave Sou Kè’m”. It can shush you to pleasant sleep if you’re feeling depressed with its verses about romantic love.

Si lanmou aprann pale
Se pa de koze ki tap tonbe
Tout fèy papye ap pran dife
Inspirasyon mwen pap manke

If this loved learned to talk
Only God knows what it would say
All the paper in the world would get on fire
There wouldn’t be a lack for inspiration

Mon Seul Regret [My Only Regret]

On this track, Cave is joined by two other singers Jim Rama and Fabrice Singer. I rather like this collabo. The music is more French Caribbean than Haiti Caribbean.

Bispidida (feat. Kimberly) [Dismissed]

Alan Cave enters this song at the 1:10 and what an entrance. I’m going to go ahead and say that the singing he does from 1:10 to 1:31. Oh, Alan Cave. Apparently, the song’s title is a distortion of the word “despedida” (Dismissed) in Spanish, or what? Check out all the desperation and lovesickness in the lyrics:

San ou mwen pa tap ka respire
Kelkeswa tan mwen fè deyò, map retounen
Kwè mwen, trezò

Without you, it’s hard to breathe
Don’t matter how long I stay away, I’ll eventually come back
I’ll always love you treasure of mine

Ooh, lala! The Kimberly girl has some really sensuous vocals. Maybe it’s because they’re singing in different languages (she in Spanish and in French, and he in Creole), but you know how when there’s a duet, you can feel this unity between the male-female leads? I didn’t get that from this singing team. This isn’t to say that they don’t have chemistry—they have plenty.

How does Volume 1 compare to Volume 2? Watch out for the second part of the Kreyolicious review of this double album. In the meantime, CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT OTHER KREYOLICIOUS MUSIC ARTICLES.

CLICK TO VISIT ALAN CAVE’S WEBSITE | CHECK OUT ALAN CAVE’S MUSIC ON AMAZON | ALAN CAVE’S MUSIC ON CDBABY

Haitian-American Music Playlist…in which I make contrast between a song sung in Creole and one sung in English…and draw comparisons.

Alan Cave, La Pesonn Ou vs. Madonna, This Used to Be My Playground

What they Have in Common: Nostalgia
Notes: Madonna sings of childhood lost…she reminisces about a playground that holds all the memories of a longed-for childhood. “All the best things in life are free”, she sings, but apparently no amount of money can bring back the good old days. Alan Cave longs in vain for the neighbors, norms and habits of old. “Moun yo pa menm,” Alan Cave laments, talking about the new people in his old neighborhood don’t come close to comparing to the sensible neighbors of the past. I’m feeling the ballroom/jazz/bolero that is featured in the Alan Cave song, but not that visual about the doggie who gets kicked during the rainstorm. Podyab! But what a visual. It’s interesting how both songs end abruptly.

In Madonna saying, “Before you know it/You’re feeling old/And your heart is breaking…Don’t hold on to the past/Well that’s too much to ask”, shows a reluctance to show . Madonna’s tone is that of near resignation, whereas the tone that Alan Cave uses shows a great deal of agony about the good ole’ days still remain. His voice is drenched with regret and pain. “Say goodbye to yesterday/Those are words I’ll never say,” Madonna sings towards the second verse, but her near-stoic manner shows that she has a balanced view. There’s sadness, but not half of the subtle affliction in Alan Cave’s voice. Could it be because Cave is not just mourning beautiful childhood memories, but also cultural loss too as a Haitian-American.

Now listen to both songs.

“La Pesonn Ou” by Alan Cave…

And “This Used to Be My Playground” by Madonna…

This has been an episode of Kreyolicious’ Haitian-American playlist…Tune in next time.

CLICK HERE TO BUY ALAN CAVE’S MUSIC ON ITUNES

His voice can make a married couple ready sign a divorce decree, call off the divorce. His voice can cause an insomniac to go into deep sleep. It can even make those feeling jaded about love believe in relationships again. But who is this man? Who? The man in question is none other than singer Alan Cave, the king of Haitian pop music. Can a man’s voice be this powerful? Well, yes. It’s melodious, it’s lush, and all those other adjectives a music pundits apply to great singers, and great music. His latest album is the two-volume Timeless, available, ahem on Amazon and CD Baby!

When most Haitian-Americans are tying the knot, and they want to put a Haitian song on the playlist, it’s usually full of Alan Cave hits. Sometimes the groom and the bride’s first dance is an Alan Cave song.

Even rapper are admirers. “He is one of my favorite Haitian singers,” says MC Ogun, “and also one of the voices who inspired me to sing.” Even choosing a favorite Alan Cave song poses a challenge for the rapper. “To pick a fave song from him would be kind of hard because I like so many…like “Se pa Pou Dat” “Nan nan nan”, “Ou se”, “All I Want”—just to name a few.

So, who is Alan Cave? Let’s get behind the persona and get him to answer some questions…What do you all think? Are you down? I am!

Kreyolicious: What are your earliest music-related memories?
My earliest musical memories? Well, it was the first time that I received an album called Credor, and it was from my dad. It was my dad’s work. It was a mixture…a musical play I would say. There was different types of music and styles. It was pretty different. It was a mix of acting monologues, poems, and all that.

Kreyolicious: Do you think that it influenced your work later on?
Definitely. That particular album had an effect on me. That’s how I started thinking. Later down the road, I met Tantan from Lakol, the Toussaint Brothers. We had a little band on the block.

Kreyolicious: How did that band Zin start?
There was a guy name Wiguens Joseph. He was part of another group . The name of that band was Papash. My younger brother was part of Papash. Syto, Jr. He was part of that band, and his friend was Wiguens. Wiguens brought me to Alex Abellard’s house, the bandleader and founder of Zin.

Kreyolicious: So, the band existed before you came along?
So they say. [Laughter] It was basically a project that the band leader [had started]. Apparently, Alex had already heard of me, and when Wiguens brought me there…I have to tell you, I heard the band, but I wasn’t too interested. I was into jazz, bossa nova type of bands…the more you know….jazzy stuff. I loved Michael Jackson. I liked the funky stuff. I liked Zekle, Skandal, the new stuff that was coming out of Haiti. We got the first module…and Fabrice Rouzier…who came out with the new sound. When I heard that song..I was like, “that’s interesting”. That’s really how my interest grew in working with them. So they wanted me to part of the new band. I said I’d think about it. When I heard their first song, the second one, I was like, “Wait a minute, let me give them a condition. I’ll sing this album, but the next album will be mine”. [laughter] They were like, “Okay”. Then Zin exploded. We did a second album. The rest is history. The first album—the Lage’m album—with the hands of the girls on my jacket…that came out as my first solo album, but it was considered as a Zin album.

This concludes PART I of the interview with singer Alan Cave. Stay tuned for PART II.

CLICK HERE to read more about singer Alan Cave. CLICK HERE to purchase singer Alan Cave’s albums.