Haitian Beatz

When dealing with a retrospective band like Phantoms, you've really got to look back. In actuality it's 5 years since their last album dropped and nearly  3 years since their first single (Danger) - which on Friday night was played more or less in its entirety with a generous weighting towards their formative era (or The pa bouje Years). It's the kind of night that begs contrasts between what they were and what they are today.

Pronounced differences are apparent from the get go, when they started with a song that paid tribute to international reknown artist Myriam Makeba, the diva out of South Africa who passed away late last year.  The song was “pata pata” that put, Elektra, Sharon and invited guest singer from Zimbabwe, Thuli before the excited fans at SobS. "Welcome to SOBS ladies and Gentlemen... Phantoms!" boomed the boxing style announcer. The young ladies took to the stage and displayed what always seperate Phatoms from the rest of the Compas world- something different than the usual-substance before hype. 

It  was a pleasure to hear some of those old tracks cranked out (14 fevrier, granmoun pajwe, La Lune- while the new tracks, oxygen, iniminimanimo, Dife, M’damou, Bondye beni guided the fans toward the future of the new direction of the band.  With the sound flailing from the beginning, it still did not deter the band; the components and discipline required to bring them to the spotlight that they onece share with the other Compas bands, still remain, with the degree of  efficiency that they performed.

With the mixture of the two extremes of the old hits mixed with the new cd, success is possible. The energy displayed by all 3 lead singers, Kino, Sharon and Elektra, three of the top vocalists in the industry, their future is in their own hands; discipline and perseverance is the key.  They must remain consistant and show that the key to what they once were is in their own hands.