My Chosen Few

Greetings to my faithful readers across the globe - Barbados, Canada, Ghana, Germany, Ireland, Netherlands, United Kingdom and the United States.👋

Well the revellers have discarded their feathers and beads, wiped clean the glitter as the last lap for the Crop Over season recently ended.  It is now time for Cricket Played Louder and the Barbados Royals' colour is PINK! No wonder we began with a loss to the St. Lucia Kings in their BLUE and YELLOW - two of Barbados' national colours...well ultramarine and gold to be exact. I'm bitterly disappointed. 

So enough about cricket. Back to Crop Over - Barbados' premier cultural showcase and a major summer tourist attraction.

Congratulations to veteran bandleader Betty West on winning the Best Festival Designer title and with it the Robert Weekes Award for this year's effort, "Soca In de Mas". Well-deserved, I say. 👏 

Here she is in all her splendour, still playing mas in her 70s. Take a bow, Betty!

                            Veteran bandleader, Betty West led Soca in de Mas from the front

That being said, for me the action was in the kaiso category and I'll share a few of my chosen few now.

First up is Niqa with a song this year entitled, "The Chosen Few", which got her into the calypso monarch finals this year.  👏

I first heard her last year's song late in the 2022 season and loved it!! Listen up.  Still bouncing around in my chair as I listen. 

The other two faves of mine this year also found a place in the calypso monarch (Pic-O-De-Crop) finals. Loved this from day one...Teri's "Cat Piss and Peppa" (i.e. Pepper) - and even my 100-year-old grandmother can't tell me what it means. From the content it has to mean "ruction" - quarelling and contention. 

                     Calypsonian Teri, had one of the more popular calypsos for Crop Over 2023

The heavy hitter for me this season was rendered by the man, who placed second in the Pic-O-De-Crop competition, the inimitable Adrian "AC" Clarke with "Anansi and de Big Bad Ram".

                       Adrian "AC Clarke rocked the 2023 Crop Over season with "Anansi and de Big Bad Ram"

So who outsmarted the Kaiso jungle this year? None other than "Anansi" who spun his web and trapped all contenders with his "picong" verse, in "Brain". It was outstanding. Kudos to Ian "iWeb" Webster on another calypso crown - his fourth. Honestly, I thought it was "The Country Ain't Well" version 2023 and I only really listened to it on competition day and realised it was well-spun.

Calypso Monarch 2023, Ian "iWeb" Webster beams broadly on receiving his 4th Pic-O-De-Crop trophy from Prime Minister the Hon. Mia Amor Mottley and sponsor representative Samuel Gaston of Courtesy Garage. 

I wasn't very enthusiastic about this year's "party songs" - too old for the bashment rhythm. I might put out a joint. All I'll say is Quan de Artist with "Waistline" was deemed the Tune-O-De-Crop. Second was Chief Diin with "Yuh Know Da" and the one I sing along with - although I know it's got to be bad for people's health - Leadpipe and Jus Jay's "Brain Freeze". Now this one has a truly international sound and it won Starcom Network's The People's Monarch award based on fan votes. .  

                                  An ecstatic Leadpipe (right) and Jus Jay enjoying their 2023 success

Until next time...