Summer carnival season may be done, but it’s already time to get ready for the road again. Here are some late 2014 (and some early 2015) soca offerings that can help cure that carnival tabanca— after all, Trinidad’s carnival is only a short five months away!
5 Star Akil and Lyrikal – Untamed
A nice, soft, groovy soca bounce with lyrics that encourage bad behaviour and copious rum consumption. Though it might not hit the heights of Lyrikal’s 2013 track 25/8, it’s still a winning combination. There are a few other tunes on the same riddim (Yankey Boy’s None Stop Drinker is particularly catchy), but Untamed is the winner.
King Bubba FM ft. Kerwin Dubois, Jah Cure and Lil Rick – Partyak (Party People Anthem)
Dancehall artists have thrown their hats in the ring with soca artists before — Busy Signal, for example, has been busy producing tunes for the road for the past few years. It’s a bit of an unexpected move, however, to hear the plaintive voice of Jah Cure on a soca track — alongside a pile of other folk, including the 2014 groovy soca monarch, Kerwin Dubois, no less. This is a big tune.
Skinny Fabulous – Anywhere Dat We Step
The Vincentian who demonstrated this year that the Worst Behaviour is often the most entertaining is back encouraging more of the same. There are a lot of good voicings of the June Bomb Riddim, but Skinny Fabulous’s Anywhere Dat We Step is a standout (Patrice Robert’s Push Up On It isn’t half bad either).
Problem Child and Patrice Roberts – Born to Win
It’s tough to top the infectious hook that is: “I’m on top of the world – there ain’t no bringing me down.” Together, the powerful vocals of Trinidadian Patrice Roberts and rough chat of Vincentian Problem Child result in a tune that, if there is justice in the world, will have crossover appeal. It’s got the shiny shimmer of American pop, but with enough forward motion to soundtrack some chipping down the road.
Kes – Just Want to Jam
Kes seems unable to do wrong this year. In between a successful tour of the US, and apparently hosting a pretty good party/video shoot for the Ricky Blaze-produced Endless Summer, they were able to take a moment to churn out this effervescent ode to dancing nice and close. After all, summer carnivals need new sounds too.
