lockdown : vinyl find #4.

For part of my childhood, I grew up on zouk, reggae and dancehall. 

Living in the French West Indies, music was everywhere and that's when I became a radio addict. The names I revered at the time were Bob Marley and Kassav, obviously, Shabba Ranks, Buju Banton, but also confidential local acts such as Metal Sound, Princess Lover, Daddy Pleen, Janik, Ralph Tamar, Tony Chasseur, Kali... 

At the time (the 1990's), one guy was everywhere on the radio with his kinky songs and naughty lyrics ; his name was Francky Vincent. Apparently, sex sells, and Francky understood it quite early. And his songs were broadcasted, without being censored. To me, it was fun. 

I bought this record a few months ago, in a second-hand store in Brussels. A word on the cover was familiar : "Tabou". I knew Tabou Combo, the legendary Haitian band. But here, the name was "Tabou n° 2". Naively, I thought this was an offshoot of the original Tabou Combo. But a few clues looked off. 

First, the record was published by Debs, a company founded by Henri Debs in Guadeloupe, who played a crucial role in spreading the music from the French West Indies (many Debs records display a very humble "Debs saved the music of the West Indies" notice). As far as I knew, Tabou Combo had never been published by Debs, as their records were mostly published by American companies, due to the large Haitian diaspora in the US. 

Second clue : the names of the musicians, and one in particular, the last one. Credited on vocals and tambourine, appears "Franky Vincent". He is also credited for the lyrics of some songs, or for the music of others. Most people who are used to his commercial hits spanning from the 1990's to the 2010's ignore that Francky Vincent is a true musician, with a background solid enough to have contributed to organic music on several albums. And yes, this is the same Francky that would sing later on about breasts, butts and farts. The kinky voice was already there in the middle of the 1970's (Francky Vincent was 19 at the time this album was released), singing in Guadeloupean creole on songs clearly inspired by the Haitian compas. The liner notes even confess the influence of Tabou Combo, claiming that the pupil (Tabou n°2) outdid the master (Tabou Combo) ! How bold ! 

I was glad I could own what is probably the first appearance of Francky Vincent on a LP, even if it sounds ridiculous to most people. The album displays the talent of a few youngsters from Le Raizet, in Guadeloupe, in the best manner. That is probably what counts : a fine example of early zouk and compas, with long instrumental parts and joyful bits. 

Tabou n° 2 - Ambition.

Here are three songs from the album : "Ambition", "Flipper La" and "Allez Co".