A Chunk of Spice Mas 2k9: A Review of Fully Loaded by Various Artists

For the most part, the trucks have packed up, the revelers have gone home, the angels have gone back underground and the jumping has stopped. Carnival 2k9 was definitely an interesting experience and, for several reasons, I don’t have much to complain about. Still, the BIGGEST event, in my opinion, was watching the woman of the year, Faye-Ann Lyons taking pretty much anything that was anything to take in Trinidad and I still find myself mentally or visually reliving the occasion which I will almost certainly NEVER forget in my entire life. And while there continue to be screams and fetes here and there (nice ones too), we have now entered the nice three months or so where Soca heads can comfortably rest our feet before getting ready for December or so when the big songs will begin to roll in again. So everything is done! Not quite. The annual ‘ritual’ of releasing albums has now begun from artists and labels alike and, for some reason another, it seems as if everyone has been releasing later and later but now, midway through September, quite a few nice things are out and about (although I wouldn’t AT ALL be surprised to see a Bunji Garlin album before the end of the year. Artists like Destra, KMC, Machel Montano and Shurwayne Winchester have already made their respective contributions (so have El-A-Kru and a few others also) but, perhaps even more notably, there have been the label produced compilations. This is quite interesting because what actually happens is that you basically have the various best Soca producers from the various best (and not so best) Soca loving islands releasing on their own labels compilations full of the tunes they’ve produced for that specific year. I LOVE THIS! Because I can’t pay attention to everything (although I definitely give it my best shot), these compilations will almost inevitably expose me to songs which I had NEVER heard and can spend the time until December with, satiating my need for the jump up. This year, first there was Best Of The Best Soca Hits 2009 which is easily one of the most dependable annual releases in terms of quality and primarily deals with covering the tunes which were big in Trinidad (although, it, unlike many of the others, aren’t inherently tied to one producer/label) and it’s always very good and of course, there was Soca Gold 2009 the industry’s leader from the peerless VP Records. Those two are pretty popular (especially SG) but did you know about Ragga Ragga Soca IV from Masterroom Studios? The nice compilation is 2009’s installment from the big Vincy label. And Best Of The Best Soca Hits also has a ‘sibling’, the lighthearted Soca Grooves 2009. And don’t even get me started on Barbados with seemingly EVERYONE releasing compilations. We’ve already seen four or so from the highest level, including Andy Armstrong’s Chaos, Monstapiece’s AWOL and Dwaingerous’ latest installment of Straight From Bim, Wine Fuh Yuh Life. And we’re still waiting on Soca 758 from out of St. Lucia. So maybe they mistake. Maybe Carnival isn’t quite over.

And then there’s Grenada. The style of Soca in Grenada has always struck me as a bit ‘looser’ while maintaining the HEAVY edge to a degree and, although I don’t tend to be able to follow it as closely as I’d like to (for some reason) a couple of my favourite Soca artists are from Grenada such as Mr. Killa, Berbice and Nnika Francis. So I would definitely be interested in seeing a BIG time Grenada Soca compilation and up until this year, I’ve only seen one or two. Incidentally “1 or 2” of those seem to be tied to the same individual, one Mr. Shawn Mitchell. The first of those projects went by the name of Soca Stage, from back in 2005 or so and it wasn’t very good altogether (not bad, however) but it featured the RIDICULOUS tune More Rags from the previously mentioned Mr. Killa (who also had another decent tune on the album, the oft-hilarious Kanaval Jump). The second was a bit more solid (although sans Mr. Killa): Soca City Vol. 1 which dropped for 2007 for Mitchell’s label, Homebase Entertainment. That album was pretty good and featured big names from out of Greenz, such as Tallpree, Ajamu and even Luni Sparks & Electrify. I don’t think Soca City had a volume two (apparently Mitchell spent his 2008 season doing his ‘day job’, which is playing bass for Machel Montano’s Xtatik-turned-HD band) which would make this brand new release for Spice Mas (Grenada’s Carnival) 2009, Fully Loaded (I do prefer the title Soca City actually) a bit more interesting and although I had no idea it was forthcoming until it was on it’s way to me, I have to admit that I quietly had more interest in this release than I did for a few of the other more ballyhooed titles. Why? Well, as I mentioned first of all, I don’t get to pay that much attention to Grenada’s releases which is probably exactly why it’s the middle of September and I’m still finding tunes from Spice Mas that I hadn’t heard before AT ALL (on and off this album). Another reason would be the fact that Homebase didn’t just load Fully Loaded with Greenz artists. That would have been too easy! Nope. Instead, if you follow Soca AT ALL, you’re able to see with just a brief glance at the tracklist that there is something more special at work here as apparently Mitchell and company (Wayne Green & Deleon Walters) called in favours from some of his more well known peers and there are bonafide SUPERSTARS from all across the Caribbean appearing on Fully Loaded’s roster which is nearly AMAZING and, in this day and age where producers are seemingly going out of their way to outdo each other, it’s also very NECESSARY. So, with such qualities just on paper going in, you would have to make a product that would also be top notch or, it would all go to waste (which would be very unfortunate, especially in this case). Thankfully, Homebase is on point for most of Fully Loaded to my ears, as it ends up being one of the stronger Soca compilations you’ll find coming from anywhere in 2009.

Fully Loaded is pretty much set up as you might imagine, with various Homebase riddims being utilized by the different artists appearing on the album. The riddim’s themselves are quite nice (thankfully) and you’ll also find that, if you really love Soca, some of this material will be quite familiar to you and good luck finding them on any other official release. Up first is an artist I’m sure Homebase wants you to pay special attention to: Young potential superstar (and CUTIE) Nnika Francis, who chimes in the innuendo-latent Sugar Stick across the very popular Bubble Up riddim from Homebase. I’ve heard quite a few tunes from Francis over the past few years and even though she seems gets a bit of flack from Soca heads, I’m not one of them at this point, she definitely could be looking at a great future and Sugar Stick, although not her best tune (that would be Mas) is a very good example of her talents and one cool tune to open Fully Loaded with. Now you may very well not know exactly who Nnika Francis is, but if you follow Soca these days even in the slightest way, you definitely know who comes in at #2 with the infectious Slow Wine, Machel Montano. The big man of Soca comes through for his good friend and band member and delivers to him one of the biggest tunes on his album and also the same Bubble Up riddim. Machel can do pretty much anything in his music and taking this decidedly GROOVY effort to the next level is testament number 3,976,321, to his strength (even if one his ‘disciples’ outdoes him, more on that in a minute). Another big tune there. Playing closer for the opening of Homebase Entertainment’s Fully Loaded is the album’s first combination, the addictive Show Off from veteran Mista Vybe from out of TnT and the man of the moment himself, Mr. Killa. I typically don’t like tunes like this (it’s kind of a poppish/electric sounding vibe) but this one pretty much works for me and you can pretty much stamp ‘future hit’ on it as the more you listen to it, the harder it becomes to take off of repeat.

Although Fully Loaded is definitely well SOLID and CONSISTENT, to my ears, the ‘competition’ for best tune here is a two horse race. The winner of said race is, of course, the DIVINE Ms. Patrice Roberts who climbs all over the Bubble Up riddim with the OUTSTANDING Wuk It which is quintessential Roberts at her absolute best (and she should take that tune to a Groovy Monarch stage next year definitely). The runner up is Kage (WHO???), who I’d never even heard of until this season and has been absolutely DESTROYING me with the HIGHLY ADDICTIVE tune Colour & Bumpas! You be very very careful when approaching this song (I’ve literally spent hours with it at a time) because it will grab on to you and if you had anything you needed to be doing at the time. . . Oh well. Not too far behind those two is 2008’s Spice Mas Road March winner, Myney who comes through with her hope for 2009, the LARGE shot, My Property. Although she didn’t take home the same honours in 2009, with tunes like this, the young Myney will be a threat to take the crown for years to come and it’ll be a joy to watch definitely. A very interesting combination in the form of Mr. Vegas and Vincy reigning two time Soca Monarch, Skinny Fabulous also comes through on My Girl. This one definitely isn’t a favourite of mine, but it’s grown on me considerably since the first time I heard it and biggup Mr. Vegas for representing Jamaica definitely. (Cutie) Tarah [Holdipp] also checks in with a nice tune, Mr. DJ. You, if you’re like me, may not respond to the tune so much initially but don’t just move by without coming back because the song (which has a very oddly paced vibes to it) takes a spin or two to REALLY grab the listener and Holdipp’s is another name to keep an eye on as well. Farmer Nappy, to complete the HD set also goes at the Bubble Up with Looking To Wine, which isn’t GREAT but is a nice and groovy vibes. And I’ll also mention Mista Vybe who comes back and brings in veteran Tallpree as well on the Jab D Remix across the same Jab Jab Reloaded riddim that Kage OBLITERATES on Colour & Bumpas. Also trying their hands at the JJR riddim are Jamesy P and Luta with their tune Bruk She Waist. Between the two, I’m definitely favoring Vybe and Tallpree but both are mentionable definitely. And, although Kage dominates in terms of the unknown and lesser known artists on Fully Loaded, he isn’t the only one here you need take note of as a few of the other artists who may not be as exposed quite yet show that they are also ones to watch. In particular is Lexie with Have You Ever. I think this Lexie is the same Lexy who had the RIDICULOUS tune We Doh Business (find that one somewhere!) and Have You Ever (a bit more melodic than We Doh Business) is on that same vibes and I’ll be watching next year for her as well. Grenadian singer Ervin Isaacs quietly appears on two tracks here, the first is the decent It’s A Party alongside Lucian gospel head Emrand Henry. The second, however, the corny titled Heart Goes Doo-Doop is well catchy and a nice vibes from the possible future Grenada (or beyond) Groovy Soca Monarch. The Frontpage band is also representing with two tunes with two different lead singers, Otis and Nekoyan Bain. I’ve never heard anything from Nekoyan but her effort, Yuh Rag is quite nice although it’s Otis (who I THINK I have heard of) who shines brightest between the two with the very AMBITIOUS Reclaim (he actually wants to reclaim THE SKY) (with rags, of course). Otis actually took the song as far as Grenada Soca Monarch stage where, at least to my opinion, he did quite well (placed 7th) and he’ll do better than that one day (like next year) as Reclaim definitely proves to be one of the best tunes on Fully Loaded. And there’s a bonus tune here, the well known Ignition completes them with another piece across the Bubble Up, the nice (and kind of catchy) Gimme De Wine, as we go out the same way we came in and in nice fashion also.

Overall, I don’t know that I’m totally comfortable calling Fully Loaded THE best Soca compilation that I’ve heard this year (I think that honour still belongs to Best Of The Best), but it certainly can’t be very far from it and as I didn’t really expect it, that definitely slides it up a bit on the scale. Grenada has ALWAYS been a nice source of big artists coming in on Soca and really an album like this (given ANY type of promotion and as both Soca City and Soca Stage eventually ended up as international releases, one would imagine that Fully Loaded will eventually also) can only help. And for the hardcore heads who know way more about the music than I do, still, I would imagine that there is something here that you aren’t already well tired of. So I’m rather confidently recommending Fully Loaded to all fans of Soca, new and old, as Homebase has just released the best compilation they’ve ever done and arguably one of the best anyone has done this year.

Rated 4/5 

Homebase Entertainment

2009