Zouk Attack

This CD features some of the greats of the French Creole dance style called zouk, including a standout song by the group that originally went by the name Typical (pron. French-style with an accent on the last syllable) Combo, here shortened to Typical, and a slew of other excellent songs. Also noteworthy are two songs by then-early teen vocalist Tatiana Miath, one by Tanya St. Val, one by Pier' Rosier and another by Frèdéric Caracas, all names familiar to Guadeloupe/Martinique locals and great talents in their own rites. The studio musicians involved in these recordings (including Rosier, Caracas, Patrick Parole, Luc Leandry, and Jules-Henri Malacquis) are each worthy of their own compilation and are excellent here, too. As another Amazon reviewer suggested, the Scaramuzzo-penned liner notes are a zouk mini-education. If you already have some familiarity with Jacob Desvarieux & Georges Décimus, Jocelyne Béroard & Edith Lefel [dec. 2006], Jean-Phillipe Marthely & Patrick St.-Eloi, Jean-Claude Naimro & Claude Vamur (in various groupings collectively known as solo artists & members of the seminal group out of Paris that developed zouk: KASSAV'), this is a nice supplement to the impressive late-80s/early-90s Caribbean records milieu, specifically zouk and zouk love. Just try to listen to this music without dancing: I'll betcha can't! Awesome arrangements, start to finish.

This Zouk compilation, put together by Gene Scaramuzzo former contributor to Beat Magazine, is an excellent introduction to the music of Guadeloupe and Martinique. The tracks are a good sample of Zouk and its precursor Cadence. The music of these islands is a rich melange of African, Haitian, Spanish influences. It DOES NOT sound like Reggae as so many people think. The music on this disc is filled with irresistible cadence rhythms for dancing. From the Zouk love of Luc Leandry's "Douce" to Typical Combo's(one of Guadeloupe's legendary groups) "An Ba An Ba", the grooves don't let up. Tatiana(now an established star in the Antilles) shows her youthful soul in vocals that are truly powerful. The licks are simple yet unforgettable. The percussion on almost all the tracks is the real thing, no drum machines. This was the first compilation of Zouk I bought when I was first introduced to the music of the French Antilles some 10 years ago and it has not paled. The liner notes by Gene Scaramuzzo are excellent and extensive. He is the only American reviewer of this exceptional music and also a great repository for information on its history. If you want a revelatory listening experience, buy this disc. I warn you that it will not be particularly easy finding stacks of Zouk cd's at your record store or on the web. But I do predict that you will be Zoukified once you have listened to this disc once through. I'd like to see a reprise volume from Rounder. After this, buy some Kassav next. And then....

Music is very good.

Wow--this is a really fun CD. If you like zouk music, this is for you. Like new condition and very fast ship!

Zouk music originated in the French Antilles around 1980 and this CD offers a diversity of rhythms that reflect the spirit, beauty and dances of Africa, France, the Caribbean, Trinidad, Puerto Rico, Guadeloupe, Europe, Dominica and many more countries.Particularly appealing to me is the fact that most of the music on Zouk Attack is played by talented musicians on instruments and not synthesized.Each of the eleven tracks offers a different mood and I strongly recommend that if you love to listen to good music or dance, you buy this CD whilst it is available.

Well, if you are looking for Zouk "retro" from the West Indies then yes it is the right choice.