Pop has a clear Caribbean sway in its step these days.

From the casual vocal island lilts of Iyaz's No. 2 radio hit "Replay," to the infectious, flickering reggae beat of Travis McCoy and Bruno Mars' top-five smash, "Billionaire," Caribbean accents and rhythms have been on the rise.

The uptick suits the summer season. Warm months often boost hits by Caribbean stars, from Shaggy to Shabba Ranks to Sean Paul. But the latest wave has deeper roots than most earlier surges and it promises to support more artists from the islands than at any time in years.

The source of this trend goes back to Rihanna, who five years ago rose from Barbados to become one of pop's most marketable stars. (She headlines the Garden Aug. 12). "Rihanna opened the door for all of this," says Chuck Foster, who hosts a reggae show on L.A. radio station KPFK.

Then, in 2007, a string of top-10 hits broke for Sean Kingston, a guy who, although born in Miami, attended school in Ocho Rios, Jamaica and had a grandfather who enjoyed a successful career as a reggae producer.

It was Kingston who discovered Iyaz, a singer from the British Virgin Islands. Back in May, Iyaz scored the No. 1 Dance hit "Pyramid" (with the Filipina singer Charice) before racking up his own smash. (Iyaz's debut CD arrives Tuesday.)

At the same time, the Barbadian-born singer Shontelle has a top 10 hit, "Impossible," though it sounds about as Caribbean as something by Christina ðAguilera. (Shontelle headlines Rye Playland on Wednesday.)

Another singer from Barbados - Hal Linton - has been building buzz over the last year with high-profile appearances on the Thanksgiving NFL halftime show and at the Soul Train Awards.

Currently, Linton's on a big summer tour with R&B stars Anthony Hamilton, Kem and Jaheim. (Their show comes to Jones Beach Saturday; Linton's debut CD drops Sept. 7.)

Also in the works is the debut CD from the Barbadian/British singer Livvi Franc, who earned attention last summer for the campy cult song "Now I'm That Bitch."

As it turns out, none of these artists has a hard-core Caribbean sound. They offer instead a very mainstream mix of pop, R&B, reggae and hip hop, which explains why people refer to their style as "island pop."

"It's a little easier on the ears," says reggae star (and A&R man) DJ Alizay. "With the real guys, it can be hard to understand what they're saying. This is softer."