At the end of the first half of the MQI/Banks/LIME Pic-O-De-Crop finals AC of Headliners tent had put himself as a serious contender to take his third calypso crown with an incisive defence of why he loves calypso, while at the same time putting his arch critic De Announcer of All Stars on the back foot.
The rivalry between the two started at the opening of the calypso tent season after AC left the All Stars and went over to Headliners. With De Announcer still at All Stars, that seemed to have created some “bite” between the two camps.
And the thousands who were at Kensington Oval last night got an insight of the tension between the two.
Before that, however, Ian Webster of Headliners gave a sterling defence of his 2013 title and we can only know if he was able to carry it right through in the second half with Barbados Is Still My Home.
But before the powerful summation by AC, Mac Fingall welcomed the ever-growing audience with his usual greeting, “How yuh feeling?”
He said he was not sure who was going to win, and maybe so too the calypso fans who were settling in for a night of keen competition at the show postponed from Friday night because of the expected weather conditions associated with Tropical Storm Bertha.
Before the competition got in full swing Tony “Poser” Grazette took calypso fans back in time with his popular song Slavery Done as part of the Emancipation tribute with a depiction by a statue of Bussa.
Another nice touch for the evening was the appearance of visually impaired calypsonian Side 2 of Super Gladiators with his infectious commentary Woman Is Boss.
Then it was on to the competition with Classic of the De Big Show facing the judges in the first half with I Ain’t Come Here For Dat. Classic says he is coming to sing calypso to advance the cause of the art form and nothing else. He took jabs at some of his fellow calypsonians as he tried to make a case for the crown. He went down well with the audience.
Mikey’s Turn Up The Love was not in sync with the mood of calypso. It was heavily fused with exotic musical strains. He would have to be more traditional in the second half if his contribution is not become a centre of debate as to what is a calypso or entry for a Eurovision song contest.
All Stars Miguel’s Gun Town captured the calypso idiom. But two things that I would mark against him: the question of whether the lyrical content push the envelope somewhat in painting Barbados as a gun town and then the clashing of the dancers with his delivery.
Chrystal Cummins-Beckles of Headliners sang Enough Is Enough in her first song. It was an intense delivery with emphasis on rendition and lyrics.
Webster took the audience down memory lane of sorts with De Karaoke Song poking fun at politicians and some fellow calypsonians. He got thunderous applause from the audience.
How To Win was Blood’s first song and it emphasised his hunger to win the calypso crown. He took the audience way back to his appearance as a teen at the finals.
One gets the impression that he was taking a jab at his colleagues who did all things to win the crown. It was funny when one of his handlers came on stage and slapped him telling him to wake up: “Mr Armstrong yuh dreaming”.
Biggie Irie’s Get Over does not feel like traditional calypso. As a member of De Big Show he has composed a beautiful song, almost an anthem, and like his tent mate Mikey’s Turn Up The Love, takes some time getting over as even West Indian.
De Announcer, who bills himself “as the man they love to hate”, might not have known what AC had in store for him as he sang De Man They Love To Hate. De Announcer, however, was not as effective in connecting with audience and even though he got a moderate response he would have had to up the ante in the second half.
Kid Site’s 246 Barbados is a smart commentary on the economic situation of Barbados. Kid Site of All Stars said Barbados was once flying high and will again. Well rendered.
AC brought down the curtain on the first half of the finals with Constituency Of Calypso.
With a set reflecting a layout of the House of Assembly, AC then put his position as to why he “would represent calypso where ever I go”. De Announcer did not escape the sharp side of AC.
