The Rough Guide to Calypso & Soca

1. Never Ever Worry - Lord Pretender

2. Free Up - Chris "Tambu" Herbert

3. Phillip My Dear - Mighty Sparrow

4. Caribbean Party - David Rudder

5. Cyar Take Dat - Brother Resistance & The Network Riddim Band

6. J'Ouvert - Fabio Alonso Salgado

7. Bring the Rhythm Down - Ajala

8. Voices Form the Ghetto - Jose Salgado

9. Bassman - Shadow

10. Bee's Melody - Lord Kitchener

11. Controller/Feelin de Vibes - Square One

12. Sayamanda - André Tanker

13. Mud Madness - 3 Canal

14. Joe le Taxi - Sharlene Boodram

Tracks:

Never Ever Worry - Lord Pretender
Free Up - Chris 'Tambu' Herbert
Phillip My Dear - The Might Sparrow
Caribbean Party - David Rudder
Cyar Take Dat - Brother Resistance
Jouvert - Hunter/Laventille Rhythm Section
Bring The Rhythm Down - Ajala
Voices From The Ghetto - Singing Sandra
Bassman - Shadow
The Bee's Melody - Kitchener
Controller/Feelin De Vibes - Square One
Sayamanda - Andea Tanker
Mud Madness - 3 Canal
Joe Le Taxi - Sharlene Boodram

Amazon.com

"Calling all the yuppies and soldiers," chants soca star David Rudder in "Caribbean Party." "All the dispossessed and the gangsters too." Part Bob Marley and part Village People, Rudder perfectly captures the real-life bacchanal spirit of Trinidad's Carnival, where most calypso and soca hits are initially spun. This nonstop festival of a collection mixes up such venerable calypso stars as Lord Pretender and the Mighty Sparrow with soca upstarts like Rudder, Chris "Tambu" Herbert, and Shadow. For several years there has been a certain tension between advocates of hard-core "wine and jam" partiers like Ajala (who sings, "I wanna bend down and lick it/I wanna flex and kick it") and more socially conscious performers like "rapso" star Brother Resistance and Singing Sandra ("Voices from the Ghetto"). But this party--with its scrappy metal percussionists, bass maniacs, and overall Carnival fanaticism--is big enough to satisfy all factions. --Richard Gehr

Album Description

Take a trip to Trinidad - the last island of the Caribbean archipelago - and enjoy the most exciting Carnival of the Caribbean with this marvellous compilation. From the great laid-back beat of the traditional song form calypso to its modern, upbeat relative soca, this Rough Guide brings Carnival to life with a great selection of classic tracks. It also introduces rapso, the thumping sound of today's youth vibe.

Artists include: Sharlene Boodram, David Rudder, Lord Pretender, The Mighty Sparrow, Kitchener, 3 Canal, Shadow, Andre Tanker and Singing Sandra

Customer Reviews:

poor compilation from an otherwise great series.......2006-02-22

The Rough Guide series is generally an outstanding way to learn about a new genre by sampling tracks of the highest musicianship.

Nothing against Calypso and Soca- these are both dynamic and expressive genres. But this compilation reflects the modern trend towards downsized horn sections replaced by synthesizers. The problem with synthesized horn sections- and I think this is beyond just a matter of taste- is that the authenticity of the sound is limited by the current state of the art technology. So rather than sounding timeless, this music is dated by its technology. Rawness and energy are lacking on this compilation, which could best be described as cheesy.

Great collection!.......2000-07-30

This is a great intro to some great music. Rough Guide makes wonderful travel guides, and their foray into music upholds the same high standards. There are some real stand-outs on this collection, and overall it's a very nice introduction to this infectious music. An ultimate party album!

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