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Few groups are capable of sounding as celebratory as the Creole Choir of Cuba, who combine a raw, urgent tone with technically impressive harmonic intricacy. This could all have to do with the fact that their musicianship is hereditary, passed down for generations from 18th-century escapees from enslavement in Cuba, Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
Their debut album offers a Caribbean analogue of American gospel music, recorded cleanly, with a simple production style that relies almost entirely on a cappella vocals: cries, solos, grunts, chants. It’s a cathartic, joyful listen, even if you don’t have a clue what they’re saying.
Top track: Edem Chanté
