Tag Archives: calypso

Unlike Cro Cro, Gypsy and Sugar Aloes, Dr Hollis “Chalkdust” Liverpool has spoken in 2026. But one wishes that, in this year of the 50th anniversary of his first Calypso Monarch crown, this indisputably influential personality had chosen to say more. Everybody, I submit, would have won… There is very …

What will history remember about Carnival 2026? Not the mas, for sure! Post-Minshall, mas has been eminently forgettable. Most, especially the Catholic Church, will remember the sex toy distribution and forget what Tribe played. Pan? Perhaps. The narrow Exodus win, their sixth in all, over a consistent Renegades, leading the …

Dogs, we have heard from since the Rock of Ages was a pebble, are man’s best friend. On the evidence Bobby and I have accumulated, it would seem they get along pretty well with calypsonians too. I think it’s a safe bet that if there were a part of the …

Truth be told, Dr Keith Rowley should have held his tongue—he does not have the moral high ground. He should not have responded to Kamla Persad-Bissessar’s allegation, made under cover of Parliament without evidence, about the source of the money used to erect the new Balisier House. But not confident …

“[…] What is perhaps most instructive from the data on Trinidad and Tobago’s national culture is our incredibly low score on long-term orientation (17 out of 100 vs 77 out of 100 in China and 50 out of 100 in the US). “It demonstrates a low propensity to sufficiently consider …

“[…] Where is the music to ‘turn a woman’s body into jelly’? Where is the fun? The celebration? The ‘Spirit of Carnival’? (Fun fact: that actually used to be a judging criterion in Calypso). “Long gone are the days when a calypsonian could win with a rum song paired with …

October and Calypso History Month are behind us now. February and Season 2026 beckon. What lies ahead? What is in store for us in the tents—if tents there are! No official Independence celebration, remember?—in Skinner Park and eventually in the Savannah? What we know is that, barring the unforeseen, Helon …

“[…] The calypso artform, like other artforms, has […] always been constantly evolving. Although I am an elderly person, I was quite impressed with many of the calypsos sung by many young calypsonians this year. “I particularly like Yung Bredda’s We Rise. He gave an absolutely superlative performance at the …

Calypsonian Fire Tender, aka singer-songwriter Gillian Moore, offers a suggestion to men who pretend to love women in order to get sex with her Carnival 2025 ‘womanisfesto’. Leave She Alone is arranged by Phil Hill, and includes drummer Gerard Rajkumar, bassist Joanna Hussain, guitarist John Hussain, and jazz horn player …

“[…] If you’re trying to build something, it’s up to you to decide whether or not you’re looking for fame, a quick joyride, or a genuine connection that grants you the ability to positively impact people. “Once you decide what you’re building, then you’ll know what kind of foundation you’ll …

Shorty would be able to blame any negative feedback from Severe Licking on Baron. Or his informants, Bomber and Cypher. Gypsy’s troubles, however, are of his own making—in more than one sense! In his 1972 For Cane, the Little Black Boy singer complained that Ah really doh know how to …

Calypso has given us a handful of unforgettable female figures. There is, for example, Kitchener’s Flag Woman and Scrunter’s Woman on the Base, there is David Rudder’s Bahia Girl and Sparrow’s Winer Girl from Princes Town. Not one of those four has a name. But the women I want to …