Pokey LaFarge (from the album Rhumba Country

Pokey LaFarge (from the album Rhumba Country

Pokey LaFarge (from the album Rhumba Country available on Caroline New West Records) (by Brian Rock)
Pokey LaFarge has just created the soundtrack for your summer on his latest album Rhumba Country. This, his tenth album, finds the mercurial songwriter immersing himself in the sun-soaked rhythms of the Caribbean. LaFarge combines the elegance of Sam Cooke with the exotic rhythms of Harry Belafonte, to concoct a smooth elixir more beguiling than any poolside cocktail.
“One You, One Me” opens the set with multiple layers of Latin percussion accompanied by cascading upright piano notes. Perfectly matching the relaxed, summer cocktail party vibe, Lafarge saunters in, singing ‘just like a summer day that never fades, we’ll stay hotter than a new dance craze”. A sultry, but playful expression of love; LaFarge is joined by his wife on the chorus as they sing, ‘there is one you, one me, and we’ve got a love that will always be’. The rhythm is hypnotic and timeless, just like love itself.
 “For A Night” is another tropical treat. Adding woodwinds to the multi-faceted percussive elements, the song is an elegant offer of solace. For the brokenhearted, Lafarge sings ‘if you’ve been done wrong, let me make it right. Let me try to help you feel better, if only for a night’. The supportive lyrics and enchanting rhythms are the perfect tonic for the lonely. Bongos and middle eastern guitar riffs add an otherworldly urgency to, “Run, Run, Run”.  “Like a Sailor” adds Reggae rhythms and haunting Greek siren like backing vocals to mimic the alluring call of the sea. ‘Sister Andre” exudes classic mid 70’s Soul to celebrate the French nun who lived to be 118 years old. Funky, beat oriented syncopation helps detail LaFarge’s exodus from the cold weather of the upper Midwest on the title track.  “It’s Not Over” has the playful, technicolor energy of a dance scene from a Doris Day and Rock Hudson romantic comedy. “Home Home Home” recalls the reverent tones of an Elvis Presley Gospel song. “Made To Be Loved” evokes the innocent romance of The Shirelles. “You Make My Garden Grow” is a Calypso hymn to the power of love. An unabashed expression of spiritual surrender, LaFarge sings ‘you make my garden grow. Living waters soothe my soul… Lord bless these seeds I sow’. This, and all the songs on this album are, at their core, love songs. LaFarge sings of romantic love without lust, brotherly love without fear, and spiritual love without dogma. He creates a musical Garden of Eden. And the rhythms of these songs wash over you like the crystal blue waters of a golden Caribbean shore. If there is healing power in music, Rhumba Country has it. Pokey LaFarge has the power to ease your worries and lighten your loads – for a night, and for many nights to come. (by Brian Rock)
Listen and buy the music of Pokey LaFarge from AMAZON
For more information, head to the Pokey LaFarge website