BASSETERRE, St. Kitts –TWENTY-TWO calypsonians have already laid their cards on the table during the first of a two-night eliminations for a bid to secure their spot amongst 16, who will advance to the Semi-Finals of the Sugar Mas 43 Senior Calypso Monarch Competition.
Held at Carnival Village last evening (Nov. 29), the event featured 10 calypsonians from the Legends Tent and 12 from the Proud Sounds Tent with SB being the Master of Ceremonies for the former and Calypso Reggie for the latter.
The focal points of the calypsos varied however, with themes of politics, crime and good governance dominated.
De Unexpected opened the floor with his witty piece dubbed ‘Rum Shop Melee’, which addressed some political issues.
Sparta’s hard-hitting piece spoke to the issue of crime, highlighting that it has raved ‘Too Many’ families and the country on a whole and that ‘Too Many’ have insisted on not cooperating with the police by assisting them to solve crimes.
On the lighter side, King Astro prescribed a session of ‘Carnival Therapy’ as a possible cure for stresses of everyday life.
Rudder’s ‘Who is feeling the pain’, King Socrates’ ‘Holy War, Alamoulou’s ‘Boxes’, Frankie Sly’s ‘Emergency’, Hot Rod’s ‘Just For Kim’, Dwightie’s ‘United Caribbean and Lucius’ ‘DDD’ capped off the Legends’ performances.
With accompaniment from the Proud Sounds Tent, Persuader performed his ‘Ah find me door key’ song while Lord Matt’s was ‘Ah wah smell so’, Honesty sang about ‘Chickungunya’ and Abba Lively was ‘Still Wondering’.
King Lala’s piece spoke of the recent ‘Divorce’ between two of the most senior members of government while King Irvin championed togetherness in his piece ‘Let us unite’.
Paolo promoted ‘Education’ and Zeneth advised Kittitians and Nevisians in the diaspora to “Come Back Home’.
Making a comeback after a hiatus last year was Big Lice, who said he is back on the attack to fight against the ills being perpetrated in this country. He said it is time for all to make the ‘Decision’ and it is upon that the future of the land depends.
Two women performed last evening and the first was Singing Jackie who said she would like to live one day in the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis ‘Just Like a Tourist”, where she would forget about the struggles of the land and enjoy the positives it has to offer.
Queen G was the other female, performing a piece about the importance of individuals leaving a lasting positive ‘Legacy’.
The judges for this round of the competition were McClure Taylor, Collin Tyrell and Rodney Harris and their assessment of all performances are to be based on three main criteria – 40 points for Lyrics, 30 for Music and 30 points for Performance.
The action continues this evening when another set of calypsonians would take the stage with the hope of pinning down a spot in the top 16.
The Semi-Finals will be held on December 14 and the Finals are scheduled for December 29.
The reigning calypso monarch is Richie Buntin.
