HOUSTON PRESS

Excerpt of article by: Brenda Gunter

If the first weekend of the Houston International Festival felt like a detour down Canal Street, the second evoked the festival’s emphasis on “Spotlighting the Caribbean.” Summer picked this weekend to descend two months early, as it tends to do, resulting in increased traffic and a heightened sense of anticipation. For two weekends of the year, we’re reminded of Houston’s status as a world-class city, when bands from around the globe converge among the urban silos of downtown to share a glimpse of their homeland. Saturday and Sunday performers saw Houston as we like to be seen.

After Saturday’s highlights, including Taj Weekes and Adowa, Zydepunks and the double-barrel finale of George Clinton and P-Funk on the Bud Light World Music Stage and Dave Alvin and the Guilty Women on the Louisiana Stage, with Houston’s Texas Johnny Brown and Los Skarnales adding homegrown blues and ska perspectives, respectively, Sunday brought a relaxed mélange of melodies from Africa, Cuba and los dos Americas.

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