KOMPA! MAGAZINE

[kompamagazine]

*SAW TAP FE - Interesting topic about what YOU would do if a good friend's wife has the hots for you. Joyful uptempo music to accompany serious topic. "MWEN PANSE GIN YON RESPE MUTUEL KI MANKE" if it happens often is what is said in the song. Is this a true story close to home, or is it a general story being preached on here by the crew. Like the part where they give 3 different scenarios in terms of what the friends would do in the SHOUTOUT section of the song. Good representation by Ti Tanbou of his hype skills on this one. Great kickoff song that should do well LIVE.

*WHY - "THAT" sax at the beginning of track; extremely refreshing these days for a compas song. Interesting subject on WOMEN ON WOMEN JEALOUSY I think. LOL. This was a FIRST LIKE ON FIRST LISTEN experience as soon as I heard it when the CD was given to me....even though the shift at the middle of the song did throw me off slightly; simply because I liked the vibe from the first part of the song so much. Cool track that I suspect many will jump on as well to get their groove on.

*TRIBUNAL LANMOU - One of my favorite 2 songs on the CD. The idea of a tribunal of love is intriguing and perhaps RARE in song format. I like the direction they took with this song MUSICALLY and LYRICALLY a lot. This would be one of the songs off the CD that I would bet my money on if I was part of the DAT7 crew. Great potential in my opinion. ANPIL MOUN AP RINMIN MIZIK SA....and for good reason. "BANM CHANS MWEN"......Pawol sa is universal...li pale pou anpil moun. Exceptional GUITAR SOLO at the end of the song.

*NO NEED TO BE FANCY - Different vibe on this song as the group tries to target another market I believe. I'm a big fan of bands when they try to expand their musical palette to reach out to other markets; so they must be commended for that. Having said that, I can't honestly say that this is a track that I will be rushing to be pressing on the rewind button for.

I liked the CHANGE in the middle of the song before they get to the chorus. Decent rap drop from the hype man Tanbou; but could a guest rapper have brought more punch to that part? Don't get me wrong, it's a cool track, but in terms of reaching another market with a track; they could have done better. I am also not sure how much of a regular feature this track will be on the group's LIVE presentations. Is this strictly a CD "decoration" song, or is it more? Time will tell.

*JE VEUX M'ENVOLER - In my opinion....THE HIT OFF THE CD. MIN MIZIK KI PI VIT KA RIVE POU FE GOL POU JAZ LA. I simply LOOOOOOOOOOOVE this song. OLIVER DURET at his best in terms of vocals and lyrics. Because most of the lyrics are in French, it also opens up the doors for markets like the Antilles as well as the France area, and a "certain" crowd in our own Haitian backyard. ZERO FOT...TOU GOL.....If the band decides to market it properly. THIS is the song that kept me from reviewing this CD because I was simply STUCK ON IT FOR days. ANMWEYYYYYYYYY....ANMWEYYYYYYY ANKO.

Keyboards, Guitars, Vocals...TOUT BAGAY ON POINT with this song. I would have put this song at the second spot on the CD song order. The group should WASTE NO TIME and make this song as the group's NEXT MUSIC VIDEO....and I mean WITH THE QUICKNESS. "HIT READY"....to be served on a platter. KISA POU M DI SOU MIZIK SA ANKO...POU NOU KA KONPRAN? ANMWEYYYYYY! BOOM...WINNER!

*JWE ROL OU - The MESSAGE behind this song is very very interesting; and the music that flows along with it is just as exquisite. LIVE....MIZIK SA SUPOZE BAY ANPIL PROBLEM. The "DEEPEST" song in terms of LIFE LESSONS on the CD. This is the song for the pure compas purists. First like on first listen as well on this tune. If they deliver well LIVE on this song; it will go a long way in terms of building a fan base for Live playing. SA SE MIZIK "MAYI MOULIN AN" ki sou plak la. Very impressed with this one.

*DEPOZIT - This was one of the group's first 2 singles released on the market. I can understand why because it remains the best FAST TEMPO song on the CD. Great LIVE banger. Is Tanbou on his way to challenging Shabba in the congas hype man department? Great song message.

*EXPERIENCE - I love the DARK SAD PIANO INTRO as it sets you up for what's to come. It apparently is Ti Tanbou who sings the vocals on this track; and actually does a good job of it; having said that, DAT7 dropped the ball by not having their best vocalist sing such a melancholy song. It would have been guaranteed to have had a better outcome not only because of Olivier's vocals, but also that would have been DIFFERENT in terms of type/style of song for him, because he does not have anything like THAT that he sings on the CD.

One thing that I loved very much on this song was the BACKGROUND VOCALS and MUSIC. What I did NOT like were the shoutouts on such a song. Some CAN get away with it like Lariviere did on "Souvenir" with Paz/Touchem Dous and Country; but a shoutout for a BANK could have been saved for another song instead of this. Remains to be seen how Tanbou will deliver this LIVE on vocals but in my opinion, Tanbou should have been given another song to sing on the CD, while saving this one for Duret. I still love the song actually because having said all that, THE SONG IS SO RICH MUSICALLY that it STILL stands out on the CD.

*BOTH WAYS - Subject that would have been taboo to talk about in Haitian society just a few years ago about a BI-SEXUAL woman who goes both ways (Loves Men and Women). Will they actually play this song on radio stations in Haiti because of the conservatives that still exist? A strong message from DAT7 about NOT discriminating against Bi-sexual women; but would they have done the same on a song for a male counterpart; and would the public have been open to THAT as well? LOL They went the "safe" route by also tackling what is termed as a huge fantasy for lots of men with that subject; so kudos to that. Nothing special in terms of the music, but lots must be given thumbs up points for the message subject.

*SE KONSA - The other of the first two singles that was released. A song that I also liked when it came out.

*DANRE RA - Previously released with a video as a solo single from Olivier Duret. Good idea to drop it on here.
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*Favorite Songs on the CD: "Je Veux M'envoler", "Tribunal Lanmou", "Jwe Rol Ou", "Why", "Sa w Tap Fe" and "Experience".

*HIT POTENTIAL: "Je Veux M'envoler", "Tribunal Lanmou", "Why", "Jwe Rol Ou" (For CD/Radio) and "Sa w Tap Fe" in terms of LIVE.

*LEAST FAVORITE: "No Need to Be Fancy"
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*PROS:
A) Olivier Duret "CAN" hold it down in terms of the sole singer/vocalist for a band....in terms of CD based on this presentation. Did NOT get tired or say too much Duret on the CD...so that's a good sign. Able to deliver vocally on slow and uptempo songs. Bravo.

B) TANBOU is the "tabasco/Pikliz" in terms of hype for the band, as well as one of the composers, so you definitely feel his presence when he comes on a track.

C) SLOW JAM WINNERS: They've put themselves in great position to score with at least 1 of those on the CD in terms of the ones I mentioned above.

D) CLEAR POTENTIAL: No doubt that the guys are a well oiled unit/machine based on that CD alone musically speaking.

D) 2 CATCHY MEMORABLE SLOGANS for a new group. I love the "STAY TUNED...WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK" one, as well as the TI Tanbou "THIS IS WHAT I DO BEST...ALL UP IN YOUR CHEST'"one; even though at times he tends to overuse it; as if it looks like he's trying to make sure we know that he is the one who wrote certain songs. Can't blame him for trying to make a name for himself to the masses...but try not to overdo it.
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*CONS:
A) "No need to be Fancy" should NOT have been on the CD. I get what they TRIED to do in terms of that song by doing something different, but I thought they could have done something better. It also is at a BAD SPOT on the CD. If it had to be on the CD, they could have put it towards the end of the CD as it takes away from the momentum built by the first 3 songs.

B) OLIVIER DURET should have sung the beautiful SAD MELANCHOLY song "EXPERIENCE". Such a high level track should be reserved for your best vocalist. I would have had Tanbou sing another UPTEMPO TRACK and put it either to replace "No Need to Be Fancy" or simply add it to the CD.

C) LACK OF UPTEMPO: DAT7 might be a band that best flows in the mid-slow tempo range...WE GET THAT; but out of the 11 songs on the CD, I can only say that 2 (Saw Tap Fe, Depozit) are uptempo compas bangers. I would NOT count "Jwe Rol Ou" as that because it leans more in the mid-tempo range. I would have added one more uptempo on there and give it to Tanbou to sing.
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BOTTOM LINE

For a debut CD....YES, YES, YES....I do believe that DAT7 has delivered. They do have songs on there that can do extremely well for the group to put them on the HMI map, and bring them SOU TABLE KOTE GRO TORO YO AP MANJE AN. I firmly believe that.

What they must be careful about however is to NOT LET EGOS (Whether of band members or people affiliated with the group) burn bridges with people who might be able to help them towards this HMI journey. DO NOT MAKE PETTY ROOKIE MISTAKES that you might regret later on. KREYOL PALE KREYOL KONPRAN.

VERDICT is that DAT7 IS GUILTY OF DOING A VERY ENJOYABLE DEBUT CD that will get the attention of many fans; including BANDS in the business. I thoroughly ENJOYED this CD. The group HAS MATERIAL on this CD to do what they need to do to get to the next step. In other words.....YO GIN ZAM NAN MIN YO POU YO FE BRUIT! Very good debut CD DAT7. I enjoyed it quite a lot. BRAVO!!!!! Let me go back to rocking some of these tracks on my stereo player. BOUYA!!!!

KM!

[EpiDat7 mwen Diw]

Excellent Review. I really enjoy the album. This band has a lot of potential to be one of the best. Keep it going boys.... Love the album
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I Love my Kompa. KlassDat7

[menkonpa]

I have listened to the CD close to 8 times by now.
I think Je Veux M'envoler is a potential hit.
But I think the sleeper hit on the album is Experience.
My issues with the CD is that it doesn't feel like a unit, more like a collection of random songs, especially when you listen to all the songs in a row. Song placement is a big issue on the CD. No Need to be Fancy should have been at the end.
Like you say Pat, too many love songs. Too many slow songs. And even one of the uptempo songs is about a woman related issue.
I actually love the fact that it wasn't Oli who sang Experience. T-Tanbou's raw voice fits the song very well actually, although his voice is weak.
I will write another post about Both Ways later today. I think it is a missed opportunity by Dat7 on this song. A big opportunity to do something huge.

[RICKY]

Definately a must have. Tout moun ap jwen

'Jwe Rol Ou' is my favorite track

[speedy/kreyol la]

Experience nan Sou Repeat Maestro Fe yon bon travay sou track sa wi epic #dat7