Search - Various Artists :: Kings of Calypso

BBC Calypso

Lawrence Waldron | New York City, USA | 12/27/1999

(3 out of 5 stars)

"This recording is a bit unusual. If you are familiar with how indigenous Calypso sounds, you will recognize the "acoustic" differences right away in these British recordings. The Calypso of the 30's through to the 50's (the golden age of Calypso from which these classics are culled) is blaring and brassy...almost like mambo music. But the favorites on this recording seem to have been re-recorded (in the BBC studios or something) with a jazzy little guitar & sax ensemble. The result is quaint, cozy and a little too polished, coming off like those smoothie novelties from Harry Belafonte or even Bobby Darin in the 50's. This "novelty" feeling is compounded by the fact that only about a third of the Calypsonians are Trinidadians (the rest from Jamaica, apparently). In fact The Mighty Terror (one of the Trini contingent) points this out in his challenge to "impostors" on the 15th track, "Calypso War" in which he says he and Lord Kitchener (the Grandmaster of Calypso, lamentably not represented on this album) are the only real Calypsonians in England. He calls the pretenders out and challenges them to compose "extemporaneously" on the spot (a proud tradition in Calypso much like rappers do today). Nevertheless, this recording is a cool, breezy, hotel-lounge version of Calypso that was actually played throughout the Caribbean in the 50's, especially for tourists. Also, for it's importance as a source of alternate recordings by Calypso champions like Terror and Invader, I have to praise this recording. Jazzy or brassy, cool or hot, Calypso is still clever and catchy. And have you seen the price for this CD? Buy it quick before Amazon comes to their senses!"