HaitaNola

Haitian roots revival outfit Lakou Mizik prompted double takes with their 2016 debut album Wa Di Do, a work that showcased their deft blend of music from Africa, New Orleans and Europe delivered in Haitian dialects and wrapped in upbeat danceability. Born out of the tragedy of the 2010 earthquake, the collective continue to fly the flag for Haitian culture; on this fabulous sophomore effort they team up with big-name players from New Orleans to revisit connections between Mardi Gras and Carnival, Crescent City and Caribbean country.

Grammy-winning producer Eric Heigle keeps a steady hold on a big, brass-fuelled album that is given extra welly by the Preservation Hall Jazz Band and Trombone Short. Both are acts that respectively jam with Lakou Mizik on languid opener ‘Renmen’ and ‘Pistach Griye’, all festival-style rara horns and lilting vocals from Lakou's Nadine Remy. When they come together it's with New Orleans crew 79rs Gang and Arcade Fire's Win Butler and Régine Chassagne on ‘Iko Kreyòl’, a clever reworking of ‘Iko Iko’ with verses in English and Haitian Creole. Tank and the Bangas add spoken word soul to the galloping, reggae-flecked ‘Kay Granpa’; and songbird Leyla McCalla weighs in on ‘Rasanbleman’. One to play on repeat.