For me personally, for better or for worse, every single roots Reggae artist who will ever emerge from here until eternity will forever be compared to Sizzla Kalonji. By virtue of being my favourite artist, Sizzla essentially sets the ‘high bar’ for roots Reggae artists to ‘attempt’ to approach in my favours (indirectly speaking, of course) as I’m sure is the case for most people with their favourites. Sizzla’s music basically restarted my interest in Reggae when I had moved away from Jamaica and began listening to several different styles and it is to his CRAFT and overall SKILL level in the music, which I contend is virtually unmatched that I, once again, became a fan of Reggae music (and it is the reason, indirectly, why you’re sitting there reading this almost assuredly entirely too long review). So, artists like Turbulence, Jah Cure, Jah Mason, Tarrus Riley, Lutan Fyah, Natural Black and even Etana have all been compared to the Reggae WIZARD from out of August Town,. Similarly, every Dancehall artist will ultimately be compared to Beenie Man who, for me, epitomizes what the Dancehall TRULY is. Besides that, I rate Beenie alongside names like Papa San, Super Cat and Brigadier Jerry as one of the most overall TALENTED chatters the game has ever seen, period. You name them, they’ve all received a similar ‘shake-down’ from me when I originally became aware of them: Vybz Kartel, Baby Cham, Assassin, Busy Signal, Aidonia and everyone else who has made any kind of an impact in the game since I first heard the name Beenie Man (like Buccaneer (YUCK), General Degree) have all been compared to ‘The Doctor’ to see if maybe, just maybe, they were a cut above the best that I’ve heard. With this distinction also comes (becomes I’m just partial like that) the fact that in most cases, I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt. For example, I can’t count the number of times I’ve criticized Bounty Killer for warring Beenie Man so long under the setting that it has probably hurt his career over the years (a point which I’m just not so sure about these days), however, it does take two to fight and I can’t remember critiquing Beenie for being involved in the same dispute, despite the fact that ALL principles involved are simply getting TOO DAMN OLD to be involved in the matter after all these years. And perhaps I choose to look the other way and turn the deaf ear when Sizzla records downright MEDIOCRE Dancehall tracks when you know that should he EVER decide to really put his mind to it, the man could become a roots Reggae hitmaking factory on his own. But, at least I admit to my biases.
So, in this case I suppose I have another confession to make. Due to the fact that I am EXTREMELY easy to impress when it comes to Soca music, my lists of current favourites, wraps itself from outside of the front door of my house, up to my bedroom where I am writing this review, literally speaking of tens and tens of artists. However, the artist WELL in front of the line is Destra Garcia. I used to live in a place called Detroit, in the state of Michigan in the US which is quite close to a place called Toronto in southern Canada where pretty much EVERY relatively large Soca artist stops after Carnival season (or before the season, depending on where you live) for events like Soca Or Die or, most notably, Caribana. And let me say that even before I had been FULLY bitten by the Soca bug, I was essentially a Destra male groupie! Wherever she would perform, I would be there and if she performed twice in one day, I was probably in her audience twice in one day! Besides being from the place which birthed my Father and where my Grannie still has a home (biggup Laventille, every time), Destra, at her best, is a pint-sized power ball of energy who makes some of the CRAZIEST tunes you’ll ever hear. Like many of her peers, she also has a pretty underrated set of more traditional vocals as well; not quite tearing into the range of someone like Claudette Peters, but VERY much to be rated alongside most other artists. Destra is also, indirectly, one of the reasons why I began to take Soca seriously and started listening to artists like Peters, of course Faye-Ann Lyons, Nadia Batson, Patrice Roberts, even Alison Hinds and my second favourite, the incomparable Tizzy from El-A-Kru in Antigua. Destra is typically one of the more active and definitely respected artists of the Carnival season and she travels very consistently (living in St. Maarten, I get pretty nice doses of Destra not too infrequently and I’m expecting to see her again this coming April). She also is somewhat active on the album side of things as well which is a very welcome addition I’m sure for fans internationally and local as well (even though Caribbean people don’t buy albums lol). By my count (including this one) Destra has released five albums (one of which, Laventille, was actually released twice, once as a pre-release I believe). Now, she comes forth with what is probably her most anticipated release to date, Hott, for the 2009 season which proved to be one of her most successful to date, highlighted by a MASSIVE tune certain to go down as one of the finest ‘jump-up’ tunes in a catalogue which is literally SOAKING in hits already. Hott comes on the heels of a Carnival season in Trinidad which saw her as pretty much unanimously the second most prominent act of the season altogether as, after the aforementioned Faye-Ann Lyons who, as Destra herself admitted, seemed to be DESTINED to dominate the year and she did in taking both Groovy and Power Monarchs as well as about as CLEAR winner for Road March that I can recall EVER seeing (she more than quintupled the second place finisher, more on that in a minute) with her HUGE tune, Meet Super Blue, Destra had a stronger year than ANYONE. Not Bunji Garlin (aka Mr. Faye-Ann) , nor other typical stalwarts like Iwer George, Machel Montano, Shurwayne Winchester or Blaxx topped her. And of course I’m partial but, I think including Faye-Ann, in the category of who had the single biggest tune, I don’t even think Lyons could top Destra in 2009.
Hott marks the first time in quite awhile where Destra joined Bunji, Shurwayne, and Machel in releasing an album in consecutive years. Not that she had been inactive at all but in 2008, she released the BIG Soca Or Die album which followed an absent 2007 (which explains why it had seventeen tracks, it had an entire season to make up for), preceded by 2006 where we got the Independent Lady release. Getting things started on Hott the album is the tune which basically got Destra’s 2009 season going, Hott the tune which I THINK originally dropped for 2008 Cropover (or at least around that same time). Hott is a tune which had to grow on me for awhile and it really wasn’t until around the Holiday season that I REALLY began to feel the song. It has somewhat of a. . . ‘poppish’ electric feel to it. But! Look up and it’s been one of the more consistent releases of the season and very popular which is something coming from an older song. I’m still not too sure why it was chosen as the title tune here but, again, maybe it was a bigger hit than even I realize. Big tune nevertheless. Speaking of ‘growing on me’ up second is Obsessive Winers which is a RIDICULOUS combination featuring Destra alongside two of her most popular peers, Alison Hinds and Denise “Saucy Wow” Belfon. Destra and Belfon have a bit of awkward history together of not being the greatest of friends (to say the least, and just as in the case of Bounty with Beenie, I think I personally ‘punished’ Belfon’s music because of it) but both of course are well respected and up until recent years were widely regarded as the finest female Soca talent in Trinidad altogether. And, of course, Bajan Hinds is probably the single most popular female Soca artist on earth. This tune has a really crazy chorus which gets downright addictive after awhile and you’ll find yourself singing it at the most inopportune moments. Also, this tune was aided when, at the recent Soca Monarch show, Destra, the between Groovy and Power competitions entertainment highlight, performed and called both Belfon and Hinds on stage for a rendition of the tune which featured a VICIOUS clash of the bumper, which Alison Hinds took the crown in! I can’t listen to the tune without thinking about it! Crazy song. Finishing the opener of Destra’s Hott is definitely the least well known of the three but probably the best tune, D Trini Way, which is SWEET! This song has a small bit of old school Calypso vibes in it (heavy horns and all) which just hit the spot! Beautiful piece, groovy and jump up at the same time with just a very ‘colorful’ vibes and one of the real highlights of Hott. All in all a very solid opening (especially considering the ensuing madness I’m about to tell you about).
The main attraction to this album and it’s strongest and most ridiculous and maddest tune and one of the best of Destra’s entire career rolls in at track eight in it’s original form. Bacchanal is absolute INSANITY! It reminds me of how I felt listening to older Destra tunes like Savage, Tremble It, Max It Up, Jumpin, Carnival with Machel and all of these powerful songs which just go to identify what Carnival is all about. Bacchanal is HUGE, the best song of 2009, my own personal roadmarch (I’ve easily played it more than 410 times probably in the last month alone) and the best Hott has to offer. MAMMOTH! Sassiness was another tune which received quite a bit of attention as well and it’s a very nice one indeed. This rather oddly paced song can get hypnotizing after awhile (she makes a very STRANGE melody over the strange riddim which seems to work so well) and having seen a performance of the tune, its even better live. Still, on record it remains powerful and another of the top class sets on Hott, altogether. Now Basanti is something DIFFERENT! It comes in on an old school Dancehall flavour and my ears jumped so hard I think I got a headache. The tune eventually ascends to a very familiar Soca/Chutney vibes alongside Raymond from Dil-E-Nadaan, soaking wet in somewhat corny, but charming (and kind of funny), sexual innuendo. It has a way to go before it could possibly reach Aur Chale levels, but Basanti stands pretty favourably on its own merits definitely. There’s another big and important tune on Hott in the form of West Indian Pride which is straight MAGIC. I believe the tune was the official song for the West Indian Cricket team. West Indian Pride is just a big and vibrant tune that, even should you take out the sporting aspect of it, still retains the same power and it just stands as a tune on its own. Typically there’s a kind of a CORNY type of feel to such a song (unless, of course, Maximus Dan makes it), but this one suffers not at all from the same flaw. Its just a lovely tune. I’m not normally one for Roadmixes and usually I tend to pass them COMPLETELY over but checking the two here for two of the biggest tunes and they aren’t very bad actually (for the matter of fact, the one’s I’ve heard this year in general have been pretty good, even though I don’t think the actual original music has been overall that strong as previous years and certainly not last year). Sassiness’ mix doesn’t take away much from the tune as is the typically FRUSTRATING way which they do. Bacchanal’s is even better as it scales itself back just a bit after a Spartan-ish opening and I’d probably say that even Bacchanal’s Road Mix is one of the best tunes on Hott altogether. Ending things is something you’ll find on EVERY Destra album, a gospel/ballad. This one is called Jesus Loves Me. If DEFINITELY isn’t my type of music but I consider this side of Destra’s to be like Lady Saw’s love of country music, which means its EXTREMELY harmless. And in this case, like pretty much all the time, it goes to show off her real vocal prowess to the end the album (see, even when I don’t like the record, I find something good to say about it!).
The album is WONDERFULLY put together and the package includes a bonus DVD which includes Destra’s videos, including the best one she’s ever done in my opinion, Bacchanal. These are always a welcome addition and show that the artist and label (Krazi Muzic) definitely go out of their way to push the project and in this case, I’m sure it’ll prove successful for them.
Overall, did I mention how biased I was. Even in my bias I have to admit that, at best, Hott is the second best album of Destra’s career and I wouldn’t call it that. Following a 2008 season which saw the release of the Soca Or Die album (and, again, I remind you that the album had two seasons of hits at it’s disposal) and a LOADED 2006 album of Independent Lady, Hott doesn’t stand up to those, but in reality, it really doesn’t even have to. 2009, in my opinion, was one of the strongest seasons in the entire career for the Soca superstar and definitely there are fans all over the world knowing the name Destra who didn’t know it back in 2008. Consider Hott icing on the cake for older fans and the appropriate long overdue introduction to those new fans FINALLY learning the name Destra. And it’s not Destra Garcia. Her name is Bacchanal.
Rated 4.25/5stars
Krazi Music Records
2009
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