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Wyclef Jean Welcome to Haiti: Creole 101 [BMG Canada] Release Date: 2004 08 03 Label: Sak Pasé Rating:

Stepping aside from the major-label playing field for a moment, the ever-unpredictable Wyclef Jean indulges in his Caribbean heritage on Welcome to Haiti: Creole 101, an essentially noncommercial album released on the down-low by Sak Pas? Records in late 2004. The full-length effort is a whirlwind musical journey through Caribbean music styles, as written and produced by Wyclef and right-hand man Jerry "Wonder" Duplessis. Sure, Wyclef has always shown an affinity for Caribbean music, but he's always fused it with his other affinities, namely hip-hop and pop/rock. Not so here: this a full-fledged Caribbean album that careens from style to style -- within the course of a single song, more often than not! -- showcasing glints of everything from reggaeton to cumbia without ever succumbing on the confines of a single style. It's really an amazing listen, especially if you're at all attracted to Caribbean music. Rarely if ever does the music feel by-the-numbers, and Wyclef maneuvers through his musical tapestry with astonishing ease, even switching from English language to Creole whenever he so feels the need. In fact, you could argue that this is the most natural-sounding Wyclef album to date since nothing is forced (i.e., no forceful fusions of, say, hip-hop and pop ? la Wyclef's notorious pop-rap interpolations). Then again, anyone who favors the hip-hop side of Wyclef -- or, more broadly speaking, his commercial side -- is going to find little to grasp onto here. "President" stands out as the album's obvious crossover attempt, and while it's a really great song that is among Wyclef's best and most heartfelt, it's unrepresentative of the remainder of the album, very little of which could ever find its way onto any commercial radio format in America. That's how freewheeling this album is -- it's so freewheeling that Wyclef's major-label affiliate, J Records, let this one pass by. The audience for an album like this is quite small, no doubt: of Wyclef's fan base, only those who enjoy him at his most creative or most Caribbean should consider this release. There are definitely no "Gone Till November"s here. That said, Welcome to Haiti: Creole 101 is nonetheless an amazing album and one that deserves acclaim. It's all the more testament to Wyclef's wayward genius. [The Canadian edition was released by BMG a few months before Koch released the U.S. edition. The track listings differ slightly, and you might consider this Canadian edition if you're especially interested in this album because it features French versions of three of the album's best songs: "Fistibal-Festival," "La Vie Ghetto," and "24 Heures ? Vivre." On the other hand, it lacks the remix of "President" featured on the stateside edition.] Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide

Tracks:

	Title	Composer	Time
1	Jean Dominique Intro		1:08
2	24 ? Tan Pou Viv	Millien, Jean, Duplessis	4:06
3	Fistibal-Festival	Ramsay, Warren, Jean, Duplessis	4:28
4	Party by the Sea	Myrie, Jean, Duplessis, Martinez, Martinez	3:51
5	Ou Marye	Paris	5:30
6	Generation X	Jean, Duplessis	4:39
7	Bamba	Valens	4:00
8	Pistach	Jean, Duplessis	4:10
9	Marasa	Beaubrun, Jean	5:13
10	Haitian Mafia	Jean, Duplessis, Marchand	4:07
11	Lavi New York	Govanah, Jean, Duplessis	4:18
12	Bay Micro'm Volume	Jean, Duplessis	5:21
13	Fanm Kreyol	Jean, Duplessis, Campbell	3:58
14	Nou Va Rive	Jean, Duplessis	4:29
15	President	Jean, Duplessis	3:35
16	Fistibal-Festival [French]	Passi, Warren, Jean, Duplessis	4:29
17	Vie Ghetto [French]	Passi, Jean, Duplessis	3:57
18	24 Heures ? Vivre [French][Version]	Bruno, Salgado, Salgado, Jean, Duplessis	4:10

Releases:

Year	Type	Label
2004	CD	Sak Pasé
2004	CD	Sony

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