Kalik

Album Review

When one of your songs was written and produced by Lenny Kravitz, chances are that you aren't providing hardcore Afro-Caribbean music, and, to be sure, Kalik is hardly that. Instead, the Baha Men ("Baha" is short for the Bahamas, where the group was formed) blend Afro-Caribbean elements with urban contemporary, dance-pop, and hip-hop on a CD that ranges from the creative to the contrived. Some of the tunes are too safe for their own good—think of Lionel Richie's "All Night Long" and you can get an idea where the Bahamas natives are coming from on some of the more innocuous tunes. But when the Baha Men are creative, their creativity pays off. "Sunny Day," the song that Kravitz contributed, has a feel-good vibe recalling early 1970s soul, and equally appealing are the new jack swing-influenced "Crazy over You" and a funky remake of Fats Domino's "I'm Walking." Kalik isn't a gem, but it certainly has its moments.