Kevin Lyttle (Atlantic, 2004)

I don't like soca. I never have. It's nothing personal; soca never slept with my wife or planted crack rocks in my glove compartment. I just could never get into its upbeat, kinetic Latin, Indian and African-flavored beat the same way that I did with the relaxed reggae pace or even the more similar, yet harder-edged digital dancehall rhythm. If you're reading this, you're probably a reggae fan and may feel the same way I do about soca (soul + calypso = soca, FYI). If so, the debut from Kevin Lyttle may open your eyes. Don't dismiss this as just another soca album, because it isn't. That is, it isn't very "soca" in sound. It's as much dancehall as it is soca, and it's as much R&B as it is dancehall. Soca purists may dismiss this fusion of sounds as too watered-down and overtly crossover (or maybe not; I don't know, since I'm not one), but in terms of bringing soca into mainstream consciousness, Kevin Lyttle is brilliant. One need look no further than MTV, BET and the Billboard charts, which the smash single "Turn Me On" has topped to become the biggest thing in soca since Arrow's "Hot Hot Hot" in the early '80s. The song -- which I imagine Lyttle might be sick of singing by now -- was originally recorded in 2001 and has swept (Well, 3 years doesn't really imply a sweep, does it? More like a lava-like ooze.) through his home isle of St. Vincent and the rest of the Caribbean, took over Europe in 2003 and finally has hit it big in the US. It success is deserved, as this insanely infectious tune truly defines the term "anthem." The lush production and soulful dancehall-cum-R&B blend that has buoyed "Turn Me On" is evident throughout Lyttle's self-titled debut. Tracks like "Never Wanna Make U Cry," "My Lady," "Screaming Out My Name," "Call Me," and his teaming with Mr. Easy on "Drive Me Crazy" (Easy's solo version is on Strictly the Best 30) create a party air that transcends genre. They blur the line between soca, dancehall, pop and R&B so much so that you don't even think about the genre; you just enjoy the music for what it is: a fun, freewheeling good time. Honestly, if I hadn't been told that Lyttle is a soca artist, I wouldn't have otherwise guessed so. Beyond the eclectic music, Lyttle has a nasal yet soulful voice (think Curtis Mayfield by way of the Fine Young Cannibals' Roland Gift) more influenced by R&B than Caribbean music. This is the perfect album for soca-phobics to explore, because when a song that is a bit more overtly soca -- as with "My Love" -- comes on, you feel much more prepared and in tune with the sound. "My Love" is actually one of my favorite songs here -- a sweet, airy dedication -- and I'm not even a soca fan. Granted, Kevin Lyttle will be too poppy for some listeners. It is an unabashedly shallow party album designed to cross over, but it does its job well. It's the audio equivalent of a summer popcorn movie: loud, pretty, superficial, yet a fun crowd-pleaser. I still don't consider myself a soca fan, but I'm more open to the option after hearing this album.