There was a brief moment in the 70s when soca reached a peak of
perfection, with tight horn charts, clever arrangements, great
lyrics, and that driving, high-ringing iron beating sweet in the
rhythm section. This awesome collection of hits by calypsonian
Maestro captures that era with 14 marvellous tracks. Some are highly
produced studio performances, like the charming Bionic Man,
in which our hero’s greatest boast after being reinvented as
half-man, half-machine is that "No woman would dare tell me ah
foolin’." Others, like Mr Trinidadian, are brilliant
political commentaries captured live in the tent. This CD makes a
strong case for Maestro as a vastly under-appreciated treasure. It
may also induce serious nostalgia for those great, early soca tunes
that are starting to sound almost as primeval as the Trinidadian
string bands of the 1920s. [MG - Caribbean Beat] |