Afropop Worldwide

Sometimes nothing feels better than singing the blues. And the classic Haitian guitarist Beken has more than a few reasons to be singing them. Despite gaining nationwide popularity for heartbreaking songs, the musician never got much in the way of money for them. Then, when the catastrophic earthquake hit Haiti in 2010, he lost what little he had, and was forced to move to a refugee camp. The disastrous quake brought intense international attention to Haiti (for better and for worse, obviously), and it also brought a resurgent popularity to Beken's songs of sorrow among the Haitian people.  The combination of the two allowed Beken to briefly garner some international attention, as his music was profiled in the New York Times and on public radio. It also made its way to the ears of Thirty Tigers producers Chris Donohue and David Macias. Inspired, they spent the next years working on a new record with Beken. The result is the fantastic Troubadour, a warmly powerful work that presents Beken's voice and guitar to a brand-new audience. We are proud to offer the inaugural stream of the album!