One of the challenges faced by author Brenda F. Berrian when she wrote "Awakening Spaces: French Caribbean Popular Songs, Music, and Culture" (University of Chicago Press) was the nature of the native Creole lyrics sung by French-Caribbean groups such as Kassav' and Malavoi.

At first glance, these bands' songs seem to be innocuous reflections on everyday topics such as sugarcane and the weather. But closer scrutiny uncovers sophisticated political messages.

In the Kassav' song "Wonderful," for example, the lines talking about France — "When I landed/ I was like a fool/ Because I found the country to be wonderful" — convey an immigrant's happiness as well as a deep sense of irony.

"Each song could have at least five interpretations," said Berrian, a University of Pittsburgh professor who specializes in French-African and French-Caribbean literature. "The songwriters explained the different levels to me and how a certain word could mean something else entirely in a different context. I had to go over the lyrics with many people to determine the best interpretation."

Played by bands such as the internationally popular Kassav', zouk — a dance-oriented mixture of African and Haitian rhythms with ultra-slick Parisian production values — is the ubiquitous music of the Antillean islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe. These Caribbean locales, colonized by the French, remain "departments" of France rather than independent countries. This has caused them to evolve schizophrenic national personalities. Each boasts its own national identity, yet prestige accrues to residents who've studied or lived in France.

"People might talk about the way they don't like being beholden to France," Berrian said. "But they do enjoy a high standard of living compared to other Caribbean nations, and don't want to give it up."

Berrian discovered the music of Martinique and Guadeloupe while pursuing her doctorate in Paris. She has since followed the islands' musical scenes closely. In "Awakening Spaces" she traces the careers of many of the islands' artists, including Kassav' and the more classically oriented Malavoi.

Malavoi have been struggling since pianist Paulo Rosine's death in 1993. They rarely play these days. They've re-formed with Mano Cesaire on keyboards, back for the third or fourth time, but, Berrian said, "they're really in a holding pattern," with no clear career trajectory or recording contract.

One of the book's themes is the rise of feminist consciousness in the French Caribbean. When Berrian began visiting the islands in the mid-'70s, it was rare to see a woman leading a band or writing songs. "There was Léona Gabriel in the early part of the last century, but zouk really launched it with Kassav' singer/songwriter Jocelyn Béroard in the early '80s," Berrian said.

Béroard songs such as "Pa Bisouin Palé" (No Need To Talk) and "Ké Sa Lévé" (I Will Rebound) explored themes of independence and optimism. "Thanks to her, all the young women want to write songs as well as sing them," Berrian said. "Men still control the industry, but women are making great steps forward."

Zouk remains the islands' predominant music, with Kassav' still the biggest name. The group recently released Les 20 Ans de Kassav' á Bercy on DVD and re-recorded some of its older material in Spanish with Cuban rhythms and musicians on Un Toque Latino.

But global (i.e., U.S.) pop culture has arrived in the Antilles, just as it has everywhere else.

"The youth are writing hip-hop songs now," Berrian said, "while imitating the dress, gestures and language of African-American rappers — only in Creole."