#246toDeWorld

Greetings to my various readers - even you from the "Unknown Region" (which makes me wonder if my blog is being scrutinized by a  secret service 😲).

On another note, I am happy to see that people from Grenada, Belgium, Portugal and Ukraine have been on the page. I hope I can continue to inform, enlighten or entertain you with my musings. 

It is November! The month of this nation's independence from Great Britain (52 years ago).
                            

                                     Ambassador, Robin Rihanna Fenty

Given the interest in last November's postings on our Ambassadorial Queen of R&B, Her Excellency Robin Rihanna Fenty, and local music in general, I'll introduce you to some of Barbados' other musical exports - all with varying degrees of success in other nations. None with the degree of success of Rihanna, but all are brimful of talent.

SHONTELLE
I love Shontelle's sound. In the first few years after Rihanna began to make waves internationally, a few other Barbadian gems were "discovered". One such is Shontelle, who has had more chart success in the United Kingdom than in the USA. I had planned to feature her today, then I decided to share a few as they each have their own sound. While I prefer Shontelle's video for her debut single "T-Shirt", I like this song better. Ladies and gentlemen here is Shontelle's sultry vocals on "Impossible"...

                           Shontelle - "Impossible" (Credit: Shontelle Layne, 2010)

  

COVER DRIVE

Then there is Cover Drive, which lit up the UK music charts upon debut with their energy and sass in 2010. Their sound is rather more of a fusion of genres. This is "Sparks".

                             Cover Drive - Sparks (Credit: CoverDriveVEVO, 2012)
JAICKO 
This young man has singing in his blood. His dad, Philip Forrester played and sang in the popular local band in the 80s, Second Avenue - another of our wonderful local talents. Not recent work either, but it's the month for local music regardless of genre or age. This is Jaicko with "Oh Yeah", which as the song says, gets your head bobbing - I find it infectious. It's very youthful and exuberant!

                                      Jaicko - "Oh Yeah" (JaickoVEVO, 2009)

HAL LINTON

Now this young man is a great talent - he sings and plays both piano and guitar. His voice has a jazzy soulful feel. This one is just brilliant, but also dated. I've chosen to only link the video as it's not really PG13: Hal Linton and "Southern Hospitality".

                                       Barbadian musician, Hal Linton

MALISSA ALANNA

And if you thought Barbadian artistes only sing soul, R&B, rap, soca/kaiso, this young lady sings country music. Malissa Alanna, as a teenager, got the chance to go to Nashville to have music produced. Like  the others, she is another example of the variety of musical talent in Barbados - and like Hal, she plays the guitar. This clip from a local production company, Balcony TV, gives some insight into her sound and her musical influences.

                Malissa Alanna - "I'm Your One Regret" (Credit: BalconyTV, 2014)

For decades Barbadian artistes have been blazing their own musical trail. During this month when all things Bajan are celebrated nationally, look for more of our outstanding talent - 2 Mile Hill, Philip 7 and Ayanna John and perhaps clips of local productions.

'Til next time...