Kassav'

Ever since World War I, when the beguine beat swept up out of the French Antilles and
into the nightclubs of Paris, the Caribbean has provided the world with wave after wave of
exotic, enticing dance music – rumba from Cuba, reggae from Jamaica, calypso and soca
from Trinidad. Right now, the hot sound down there is zouk, a lively fusion of Caribbean
and African pop styles delivered with all the studio craft and assurance of conte... More >

It's no more filler-proof than any other disco album, and though the production has gained depth, zouk didn't develop its studio rep because the brothers Decimus laid off the special effects. Nevertheless, this major-label debut is the latest, the longest and the easiest to find LP from the guys who invented world dance music. Probably the cheapest, too. But if you run across Kassav' #5 at a discount, go for it. (Grade: B)