Sunday, February 22, 2009

The International Soca Monarch Finals 2009 (pt. 2)


And then it was time for Power. I confess to being nearly a complete wimp for jump up songs, if you make one pretty average, rest assured I'll probably like it. Although I have to confess that following last year, which was insanity (although we didn't attend (remember that one year old I mentioned?)) what I've heard so far this year has been pretty disappointment especially since one of the genre's biggest players, Machel MontanoHD, hasn't really pushed anything SUPER, unlike last year.
This, again, is just my own personal take of the performances this year at Monarch, which is, at least for us, the main attraction of the Carnival experience.
Now to the B-Mobile International Power Soca Monarch 2009 which included some of the winners from all over the region from last season and definitely brought back some good memories.
1. Shurwayne Winchester - You Energy: Shurwayne won this competition (via robbery) a few years back (that's okay, the next year Iwer repaid the favour and robbed him back) and, despite a 'flub' last year he pretty much always brings the energy and this year was no different. I don't like this tune AT ALL but he made about as convincing argument for it as he could.
Overall Grade - B+
Could have done better in - Getting a better draw. Its never easy to open and considering what came DIRECTLY before him (more on that at the end) he was up against it to say the least.
2. Blaxx - Tusty: My favourite tune last year as a whole was probably Blaxx' Breathless and he followed up with a similarly themed one this year. His performance was better this year and although he didn't have as strong a tune, he still had one of the best altogether. His performance was madness, he just kept bringing out stuff! At the end there were delrious bear/abominable snowmen/monsters spazzing out on stage and Blaxx kept TEASING the breakout line of the song (I TUSTEEEEEEEEE!) which was frustrating but it's punchline ("I don't know bout you but I come right now to get on BAD BAD BAD BAD BAD. . .") which is downright ADDICTIVE was ever present.
Overall Grade - B++
Could have done better in - If you know AT ALL what I'm talking about then you already know. Blaxx was COMPLETELY EXHAUSTED about 5 minutes into his set.
3. Patrice Roberts - Sway In D Mas: I like this song and I liked this performance but I was about the only one. Patrice did GOOD but the crowd for some reason just wasn't feeling it and marred what was, in my opinion, a VERY good performance. She shouldn't have been in it to begin with but that's a different story. She looked beautiful and the show was big. . . at least to me (okay and I'm pretty partial towards her as well).
Overall Grade - B
Could have done better in - Switching out for Nadia Batson. Someday Patrice Roberts will take the groovy crown, that's her best style, but it'll have to be a BAD year for her to even place in power (Oh and maybe not going into the crowd so early next time).
4. Khiomal Nurse - Unleash The Beast: I just hope he had a good time. After falling flat for most of his (too long) set, young Khiomal, dressed as the (not so) Incredible Hulk left the stage only to return with a big plastic. . . Godzilla? Costume. The single worst performance of the night (even worst than Zan because at least he knew when to quit).
Overall Grade - F-
Could have done better in - Staying home.
5. Skinny Fabulous - Head Bad: I looooooovvvvvvvved this tune last year! Skinny took the throne from long reigning Vincy Soca Monarch Fireman Hooper (who I believe had won the title 600 times in a row) last year and I think he had a good chance to at least place here. To me, he did just that. Coming in Star Wars style, he incorporated something that (even if you didn't like it) you just won't forget and following Patrice and Khiomal when fan response was at a MINIMUM at the most, he slowly started winning people over (and I had actually heard and seen him on Trini radio and TV in the week before quite a bit). To me? One of the night's best and what turned out to be the night's biggest case of highway robbery.
Overall Grade - A
Could have done better in - Getting that damn spaceship out on stage a little faster.
6. Berbice - Traffic: Talk about partial. Traffic is probably one of my favourite songs EVER! I was so glad to see Berbice make it to the finals and I expected from him exactly what he delivered. He didn't do anything too special (actually it was pretty much just a larger scale of what he had done in the semis) and the crowd didn't give him GREAT participation but they definitely respected him. Not bad at all from a song damn near 3 years old.
Overall Grade - C+
Could have done better in - Singing Demon.
7. Luni Sparks & Electrify - Clear D Way: Another of my favourites from last year, Grenada's reigning Soca Monarchs Luni & Electrify were the second Grenadian act in a row and they didn't even seem to get as much response as Berbice did. They did join Skinny as the best costumes of the night, dressed as. . . Indian Kabuki chiefs?
Overall Grade - D
Could have done better in - I don't know. Maybe calling up Mr. Killa and Berbice again, and Miney and everybody else. Couldn't have hurt!
8. Fay-Ann Lyons-Alvarez - Meet Super Blue: She did okay. Anybody who knows Soca (even just a little, like myself) envisioned this moment from the very first time they heard this tune play, the only question would have been HOW it would happen. Fay-Ann tipped her vanishing and reappearing act the semis 2 weeks ago and brought it again this time. Two moments here were the two biggest moments of the entire: Super Blue came shuffling across the stage saluted by Fay-Ann's backing dancers and as if that wouldn't have sufficed (it would have) the very pregnant Fay-Ann held the mic to her belly and allowed her baby to 'sing' the verse most people assumed belonged to her father. A baby (a girl apparently) trumped her own grandfather (and her father) the King Of Kings in terms of monarch, before she was ever even BORN! I was a grown ass man with tears in my eyes and I wasn't the only one.
Overall - A+
Could have done better in - Fay-Ann could have walked on stage and laid down and placed in this competition. For obvious reasons she had more to give last year (which was magic!) but given these circumstances, the only thing she could have done better was to have actually given birth on the stage, passed the mic to the newborn and had her sing and dance.
9. Ricky T - Wheel & Come Again: Ricky was damned even before he reached the stage and he knew it. I LOVE this tune but he should've brought it to Sting, not Monarch. After the "Mr. Undertaker build them a coffin line" (fitting, ain't it?) rang in people were STILL chanting for Fay-Ann. And he got his biggest forwards (which weren't even big) in conceding to her the crown.
Overall Grade - D
Could have done better in - Nothing. It didn't really matter what he did.
10. Iwer George - Ready: 'D'boss' is one of the few who could have actually followed Fay-Ann but I'm sure he's glad he didn't have to. Ready was an okay tune from Iwer and he (as always) was one of just a few artists to have a REAL chance of winning the competition, but even he, at times, had lagging crowd response. I do favour his tune last year, Ova Yuh Head, but Ready has this STREAM of 'ready' he would have to complete at least 5 times without taking a breath (I did it once) to have a shot. It got to the point where Iwer was using other stuff (including Machel's alleged thumping of Shurwayne Winchester) to get some kind of response. Ever the professional, whatever works for you.
Overall Grade - C+
Could have done better in- Performing before the BOOM
11. Bunji Garlin - Clear D Road: Up until the point Garlin dove in on this tune I didn't particularly like it. If you played it right now in a normal version, I probably still wouldn't like it. But with people singing the hell out of it, it sounded AMAZING. Bunji didn't pull up the tricks this year (i.e. setting himself on fire, propelling down from the sky etc.), instead he brought something even more impressive, LYRICS. Long regarded as the line where fast chatting dancehall meets jump and wave Soca, Bunji launched into freestyles aimed at his closest competitors and even (hilariously) at his own daughter who had took a slap at her daddy earlier. He also, more importantly, stated his mission. The four time Soca Monarch (should've been five when Shurwayne robbed him) had come to keep the crowd away from his wife, Fay-Ann and eliminating ALL questions. He was clearly the second best show of the competition and one of the best all night.
Overall Grade - A
Could have done better in - It remains to be seen what happens next year, but should Bunji combine this year's lyrical side with every other year's flare for the dramatic, it will be damn near impossible to beat him.
12. Claudette Peters - Bring It On: The second cursed artist of the evening. CP ended the competition with her BIG tune, Bring It On. The two time reigning and defending Antigua Soca Queen of EVERYTHING represented LARGE. Of course you wouldn't have known it because the crowd was basically ignoring her. It wasn't her finest hour but definitely better than it seemed.
Overall Grade - C
Could have done better in - Of course getting a better draw. She also could have used her voice a bit more, far and away CP has the best vocals of anyone who has EVER competed for a Monarch title on ANY island.
The official results were
1st - Fay-Ann Lyons-Alvarez
2nd - Bunji Garlin
3rd - Iwer George
4th - Blaxx
Which unfortunately makes the same top three placers from last year and only Blaxx jumping in, in place of Nadia Batson who didn't make the Power finals.
My own list would have been
1st - Fay-Ann Lyons-Alvarez
2nd - Bunji Garlin
3rd - Skinny Fabulous
4th - Blaxx
And that's the competition! Fay-Ann also took home what was essentially a viewers choice award which netted her 50k to go along with her 1m in prizes for winning. She offered an unforgettable show and was leaps and bounds ahead of the competition. . .
Of course the only person coming close to Fay-Ann was Laventille's finest Destra Garcia who, between Groovy and Power competitions had the stage for what seemed like an eternity. She launched through hits after hits, even sang some of Beyonce's hit Single Ladies (unfortunately) and had people in tears going through her catalogue of hits such as It's Carnival and most on point, Tremble It. She also went into the newer stuff with Sassiness being a big hit, the biggest until she called up BOTH Denise 'Saucy Wow' Belfon and Bajan Soc Queen Alison Hinds for an unforgettable rendition of their tune for this season Obsessive Winers. The song itself is VERY AVERAGE, the performance was FAR FROM AVERAGE and gave one of the night's real highlights as all three waged a 'Bumpah Clash' of EPIC PROPORTIONS! It was unjudged, but for my money, Mrs. Hinds, who the blessedly rotund Belfon deemed 'HUMONGOUS' in the back, took the crown! Left to her own, Destra ended her set with her MASSIVE tune for the season Bacchanal. Were you to just take out that bit with Bacchanal and juck it into the Power competition, Destra places no less than second and if baby Fay-Ann didn't decide to 'participate', she might've won the whole thing. Yet another reason why Soca Monarch isn't even more popular as talents like Destra and Machel, on the island and COMPLETELY available don't participate. The talk now is that MAYBE Destra may compete next year (I doubt it).
She will compete in another way, however, very soon. Meet Super Blue and Bacchanal are two of the top contenders for Road March. Either Fay-Ann will complete one of the most magical seasons in Carnival history or the criminally under-awarded Destra will FINALLY receive her just due.
Soca Or Die.

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