Search - Various Artists :: Soca Divas 2000

Trinidadian soca (the word is taken from "SOul CAlypso"), like music from the other islands, has been an overwhelmingly male preserve until fairly recently. It developed out of Calypso, replacing the sultry sway of the older style with a much harder beat and allowing for faster, more dance-oriented time signatures. However, aside from the usual party exhortations that both genders routinely produce for carnival fodder, the lyrics can also be socially conscious, smutty, hilarious, and witty. The women are as outspoken as the men and give as good as they get. Musically, drum machines and synths predominate, but soca was never meant for quiet listening. It is a naughty, roistering street creature and is at its best when fueled by copious infusions of heat, beer, and sweat. Pick hits include Gailann Stephen's "On the Road" and Singing Sandra's politically pointed slow burn "Voices from the Ghetto." --Christina Roden