|
|
Young Kings Versus Queens Calypso Show
Sean Daniel singing 'Ring'
TriniSoca.com Reporters
Event Date: February 16, 2007
Posted: February 25, 2007
On a busy Carnival Friday night in Port of Spain, the National Action Cultural Committee's focus on Calypso continued with 'Young Kings versus the Queens' at the St. James Amphitheatre. The small but enthusiastic audience was treated to a night of good Calypsos from young and lesser known Calypsonians. It was most refreshing to see such talented new voices arising from the tent. Although it was billed as Young Kings versus Queens there was no face-off between the Queens and the Kings. The Queens and Kings simply had alternating performances most of the time.
Joanne Foster kicked off the show with a song that looked at the rampant materialism in the society. Sheldon Nugget gave a dramatic rendition of "Life of the Homeless" in which he convincingly impersonated a homeless person. Nugget sang that, "...it eh easy when somebody is subjected to a life of vagrancy." He expressed that, "...attitudes must change [because] homeless people are people."
Princess Monique (Monique Hector) explored the state of Calypso in her song "Why we Lost" - a song that arose out of the CARIFESTA Calypso Competition that was won by young Antiguan singer 'Young Destroyer'. She questioned the adequacy of the present support given to young Calypsonians by veteran Calypsonians. Her solid performance was followed by Anthony Lincoln who sang "Work to do" - a song that conveyed with a sense of urgency that there is much work to do in the various communities in Trinidad and Tobago.
Abbi Blackman wore a colourful dress in her performance of "Tantie Merle Recipe" in which she proposed the ingredients of a recipe that would make the West Indies cricket team become victorious. Following her performance, Jagdeo Phagoo received a very enthusiastic and warm response from the crowd with his rendition of his song "One Love, One People, One Nation".
Talented young singer Cindy Alleyne gave a powerful rendition of the aptly named "Caribbean Melody" which highlighted the richness of Caribbean cultural traditions.
National Calypso Monarch Finalist Jervae Caesar dramatically performed his song "Where Yuh Want to Carry Me". This song, warmly received by the audience, spoke about the social effects of slavery and colonialism.
Eunice Peters gave a spirited performance of "Blow Yuh Whistle". In her song she warned that in spite of the euphoria surrounding Trinidad's journey to the World Cup, the nation should not forget the many social problems to be addressed. She expressed this view while also acknowledging the national footballers as the pride and passion of the country. Singing Sonia (Sonia Francis) sang "The Final Crossing" in which she spoke about the glorious experiences of Mas, Calypso and Steelpan in Queen's Park Savannah, much to the delight of the audience. She voiced that although it is the end of the era, a new center will arise.
Synergy Soca Star, 'Sea Breeze' gave a smooth rendition of "Knocking".
Shanaqua paid homage to the rhythmic and vibrant Carnival traditions with her rendition of "Carnival is Party". During her performance, an energetic male patron came on the stage eager to show his rhythmic dancing skills, much to the amusement of patrons.
Andrew Prescott gave a commanding and thought-provoking performance of "Beauty Is" in which he expressed that beauty comes from integrity and what you make of life.
Mr. King, the son of the great Calypsonian, King Austin, gave a moving Calypso performance of his hit reggae song "Borderline", much to the appreciation of the audience who called him back on stage to deliver another verse.
Sean Daniel gave an energetic performance of this song "Ring" also known as 'No Ring No Ting' in which he advocated that persons should wait until they are married to have sex. His song excited two vocal members of the audience, a man and a woman, who stood up dancing, excitedly showing the audience how much rings they each had on their fingers. After the performance the man then loudly exclaimed how much he disagreed with Sean Daniel's song, provoking much laughter from the audience.
Other performers on the night included Karen Asche singing "Conversion", Ancil Valley singing "Living Waters", Jaydee singing "Lady, Keep Your Head Up", Alica Massey singing "Pepperpot" and Steven Marcelle singing "Who Feels it Knows It".
The enthusiastic front-row audience provided some lively side entertainment for the rest of the audience. The audience certainly enjoyed the offerings by this talented crop of young Calypsonians and this was shown by their many encores. These fresh faces in the Calypso arena augers well for the future. The live band Earl Knight Services Brass provided solid back up for all the performers. The N.A.C.C. certainly deserves kudos for their tremendous efforts in furthering this indigenous cultural art form.
Young Kings and Queens of Calypso in pictures:
www.trinisoca.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=60592
|
|
