THE MIGHTY GABBY took his eighth Pic-O-De-Crop title on Friday night at Kensington Oval.And the judges got it right.The veteran out of De Digicel Big Show performed Haiti and Ole Ashe and was a clear 16 points ahead of the worthy second-placed Adrian Clarke.Rendition was worth 25 points and Gabby will always “kill” opponents in this category. Other than a fleeting aberration near the ending of Haiti, which he expertly masked, he could hardly be faulted in this category and would have scored close to maximum for both selections.The song, which looked at the struggles and resilience of the Haitian nation, could not have been anything other than lyrically strong. He would have pocketed a huge portion of the 35 points available in that category.If the melody was perhaps the least potent of the three main categories, this did not necessarily translate into any weak aria.Ole Ashe was simply the most melodic song on the night. It was a tune that paid homage to calypso and some of the historical rhythms of the Caribbean. Once Gabby convinced the judges that the calypso element was not lost in the heavy Latin flavour, then the result appeared a foregone conclusion. Both songs have regional and international flavour and post-Crop-Over shelf life. This is to the credit of the writer and, especially, the arranger. The boos that followed his victory announcement perhaps came from those who forgot to unplug their Discmans from their ears during his performance.All Stars’ Adrian Clarke on another night would have been the proud owner of a fully loaded Focus.He was outstanding in both sections of the show with Crowd Response and No Plastic Bag Day. The first dealt with how the crowd helps the artiste and sometimes influences the judges with positive response. His biggest prop in the song were the fans themselves who took their cue from the lyrics. And the melody was infectious.His second selection was basically a “green song” calling for less plastic bags in the environment. Although there was never any pointed reference to St Philip’s favourite Plastic Bag, so cleverly was the song done that one could easily have arrived at the need to also get rid of that particular bag. If the melody of his first song was good, then this was great.Support for BagDe Big Show’s Red Plastic Bag was on the lips of many in the crowd – several with St Philip accents – as their winner after his creditable performances of Signs and La La. A number of them booed Gabby after they did not get their wish and perhaps a motorcade through the east could be undertaken by the nine-time monarch to impress upon all and sundry that an annual victory is not a divine right.Both songs had pleasing melodies, La La especially. One sensed he had done some experimentation with Signs, and although it was very passable, it came over as slightly disjointed. He could have no complaints with his third position.De Big Show’s John King’s Ah Go Done and Jackasonian, especially, were good efforts. But he appeared to have problems with his vocals in the former song and that would have impacted his rendition. In the latter he summed up the plight of several artistes in Crop-Over when he said they experienced “six weeks of instant fame, and then back down the drain”.Blood and TC tied for fifth position with good performances. Blood’s treatment of Not My Son, which dealt with a parent backing a son’s innocence in the face of a criminal accusation, was one of the highlight’s of the first half. The presentation involving the police leaving the youngster at home at the end of the song was also one of the best for the night from the Headliners calypsonian.De Big Show’s TC rebounded well from Sunday’s horrors with excellent renditions of Out Of Control and Stimulus. Her rendition of the latter was arguably the best for the night with lyrics as crystal clear as though one was reading them straight from her lips.All Stars’ Colin Spencer flattered at the semi-final and then deceived in the final. He lacked the punch in rendition which he displayed then with Lyrical Master Number Two and Dey Dun Wid You. This was a pity since he had some of the best material entering the final.Crystal Cummins-Beckles’ Get On Your Knees And Pray was one of the sweetest, complete musical works of the night. But her Crystal Ball was not in the same league. But she is a definite talent.Bumba won the crown in 1987 with They Want To Know and one can remember the melody and lyrics 23 years later. Alas, 23 minutes after Sheldon Hope sings one has no urge to remember either lyrics or melody. This despite the fact that he is an excellent singer, even if too structured for calypso. He brought positive messages, though Last Days Revisited was redundant, and Hope was okay – just. But boring cannot be made interesting in Jesus’ name. His ninth place was flattering.Tassa’s Old People was a classy selection – perhaps a geriatric anthem – and was beautifully rendered. But not even the appearance of the Lone Ranger and Tonto on stage could have given more impetus to To De Dump, and her overall chances.
