Balancing native Haitian rhythms with folk-based songs reflecting her deep spiritual devotion, Gina Demergeau-Lasseur’s debut CD, Bondye Vivan, showcases a singer with that rare gift to make it all sound so effortless. A Miami-based Haitian-American, Demergeau-Lasseur’s story is grounded in music, her Haitian heritage and her strong Christian beliefs, and her album reflects all these influences with remarkable skill. Singing primarily in French, Caribbean-flavored, up-tempo numbers like “Sa se lanmou” and “Rele Jezu” shimmer like the waters that lap the Haiti seashore, while on the moving and timeless title track, “Bondye vivan,” the singer’s reverence needs neither simile nor translation. A wonderful album full of Caribbean-soaked songs that are as engaging as they are meaningful, Gina Demergeau-Lasseur’s Bondye Vivan CD is a treasure of transcendent World music.
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