Calypsoul 70: Caribbean Soul & Calypso Crossover 1969-1979
Strut
4 stars

It’s easy to spot the musical influence of the Afro-Caribbean diaspora on artists ranging from Antibalas and Paul Simon to No Doubt and Vampire Weekend, but you rarely see much written about the influence of American music on Afro-Caribbean music forms. Back in the ’60s and ’70s, as the beginnings of globalization spread Western culture far beyond geographical borders, the sounds of soul, funk and rhythm & blues began to make their way across the Atlantic. The 20 artists collected here are the invigorating result of that cross-cultural pollination. The album opens with the Revolution of St. Vincent’s “The Little You Say,” whose sizzling hi-hat and percolating funk groove make it sound like the Caribbean’s answer to the Jimmy Castor Bunch.

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