In the liners to
Pa Prese,
Beethova Obas says that although his people were deported from Africa they have not forgotten the rhythm and language of the drum. Backed by some of the best musicians from Haiti and Martinique, he provides proof of this on the tracks of this beguiling mix of Haitian, Brazilian, African, and Cuban musical strands. Bago, a renowned percussionist from Martinique, lays the groove groundwork with a delicate but highly rhythmic hand.
Obas is a musician that incorporates many styles of music into a percussive potpourri that bubbles and pops. The gentle tropical trade winds are always blowing through his songs, but the groove can deepen unexpectedly, as on the cover of "Lina," one of the two songs on the album not composed by him. The other is "Couleur Café," a
Serge Gainsbourg title that swerves and sways through tropical waters. One never tires of listening to
Pa Prese. The album slowly envelops you and you are caught in the mosaic of the rhythmic web.