The Pic-O-De-Crop Semifinalists converged at the National Cultural Foundation this morning at 10:00 a.m to pull for the positions that they would be performing at.

1 - BLOOD
2 - POMPEY
3 - ENOBONG
4 - DRE
5 - ROMEO
6 - CLASSIC
7 - KID SITE
8 - GABBY
9 - HEEHAW
10 - LADY ISHA
11 - CHRYSTAL CUMMINS-BECKLES
12 - ISHAKA MCNEIL
13 - MR. IMPACT
14 - RONNIE CLARKE
15 - ADRIAN CLARKE
16 - ROMMELL
17 - JOHN KING
18 - SHELDON HOPE
19 - DE ORIGINAL CLARKE DAN

Stay tuned for the Party Monarch Finals running order!!

Article by Stephanie Chase

July 18th 2008
National Cultural Foundation Headquarters
West Terrace, St. James

There were a number of surprises in both competitions but I believe that all in all the results were fair.Three women are among the 18 people chosen to compete next Friday. However, noticeably missing are William "Smokey" Burke and Colin Spencer. Since there was a tie at 18 there will be no reserve in the Semi-Finals. The Party Monarch Finals will be an interesting one with De Big Show and Bacchanal time hawling in 5 finalists each of the 19 selected. This year appears to be one that will be filled with numerous surprises.

PARTY MONARCH FINALISTS

NAME OF TENT	NAME	STAGENAME
All Stars Calypso Tent	Kimberly Inniss	Kimberly Inniss
	Miguel White	Miguel
Bacchanal Time	Khiomal Nurse	Khiomal
	Justin King	Justin
	Donnella Weekes	Donnella
	Ramases Browne	Ramases
	Peter Wiggins	Peter Ram
De Big Show	Natalie Burke	Natahlee
	Stedson Wiltshire	RPD
	Terencia Coward-Thompson	TC
	Ryan Chase	Buggy
	Jafar Burnett-Hinds	Jafar
Headliners	Michael Mercer	Mikey
	Anderson Armstrong	Blood
	Dale Rudder	Mr. Dale
House of Soca	Jude Clarke and Owen John	HeeHaw and Dragon Slayer
	Daniel Borman	Jimmy Dan
	Owen John	Dragon Slayer
Tomorrow's Children	Jamar Bradshaw	JayB

Got Rhythm.Com extends congratulations to all of the artists and wishes them the best of luck!

All calypsonians are expected to be at the National Cultural Foundation tomorrow July 19th at 10:00 a.m to pull for their positions in the respective competitions.

Sponsored by The National Council on Substance Abuse, Shop Smart, Mount Gay Rum and Journeys the Headliners Calypso Tent set the tone of what to expect during the Party Monarch Competition on July 27th. The sentiments are that the bulk of the Party Monarch finalists may come from this tent.

The first calypsonian to face the judges was DABA with a song entitled YOU'RE MINE. He had the audience in stitches from the moment he hit the stage. Amidst the roaring laughter due to his Michael Jackson moves, breakdancing, jucks and stabs DABA has a great voice. He should not try to camouflage his talent with humour because then he may end up having to perform this way continuously to get crowd response. Obviously a crowd pleaser he was able to entertain the audience especially when he started to tremble and he did this better than some women!!

The next person up was Rhea featuring Jaycee with HANDLE IT. This duo happens to be in the number one position in the Got Rhythm eSoca Competition. However, on judgin night they failed to deliver due to poor microphone technique, poor diction, a lack lustre performance and the failure to connect with the audience.

If there is one local entertainer who continues to grow and improve it is Nicole PEACH Pilgrim who performed LOVE IN DE CARNIVAL. Peach depended on her voice and stage presence to pull her through and it should take her all the way to the finals. Lyrically the song has very good lyrics. She put down a solid performance and the inclusion of a live steel pannist added a wonderful element to her presentation.

Basil may have a hard time this year with INSANE his vocal performance was not as impressive when compared to the other competitors and he seemed to be looking to the balcony for reassurance which never came.

D2's performance of EARTHQUAKE did exactly what an earthquake does it destroyed every semblance of musical arrangment the song may have had. It sounded like a mass of confusion and his lone dancer did nothing to enhance the presentation furthermore the dance moves were not in sync with the music.

Sherwyn Straker's DOWN IN DE WAIST was another song that was all about wining, jucking and stomping across the stage. He appeared tired and out of breathe during his performance. Poor microphone technique seems to be Omar McQuilkin's error and caused most of his words to be lost during his performance of WILD PEOPLE. His entry to the stage was impressive but what followed after left alot to be desired.

The heat was on from the start of the second half of the show. Ishaika McNeil's presentation of WEST INDIAN was what good soca music should be about; strong lyrics, great musical arrangement and excellent use of stage. Ishaika showcased a nice tonal quality to his voice and his delivery was good. His song was motivating as he sang, "everybody jamming, everbody singing praises to the highest, West Indian raise your flag, no matter where you are from all of we is one!!" He should definitely make it to the finals.

Often viewed as a dark horse Brian BUMBA Payne may turn some heads if he makes it to the EAST COAST and deservingly so!! His song was also entitled EARTHQUAKE was lyrically one of the strongest on the night and could also be judged in Pic-O-De-Crop because of the content.

When the Underdawg hit the stage it was almost on fire his rendition of BREAKAWAY was very good and he did not rely on the use of props or dancers. good use of the stage and a song with positive lyrics. His message to the audience was that young people should break away from all things negative.

Bruce Chandler with PEOPLE COMING is another person to watch. He used the stage well and sang extremely well. Excellent harmonies from the background vocalists were displayed during this song.

Reigning People's Monach and Road March King Mr. Dale was impressive with his TIL UM DUN; however, he may lose a few points for exceeding the time limit. He had the audience captivated from the moment he hit the stage and got them to sing parts of his chorus. People wer dancing and waving their hands but it was the dancers that really complimented his performance. The dancers who portrayed various characters including a police officer captured the feeling of Crop Over.

Teejay the female lead singer in Strategy The Band looked lovely on stage with her dancers in matching outfits. Her rendition of READY TO GO was a commendable one.

Statement with DONT BOTHER ME gave a great rendition of the song. His diction was good and he used the stage well.

Pong had everyone OFFSET from the moment he hit the stage dressed in a tan suit and since everyone knew all the words the entire audience sand along.

Contone may experience some HARD TIMES if he is not selected for Party Monarch and he would only have himself to blame. From the time he hit the stage dressed as a mobster a male member of the audience walked up to the stage and placed a CARIB BEER right in front of Contone. Contone proceeded to grab the beer, used his teeth to open it and continued to sing or try to... So much for being sponsored by the National Council on Substance Abuse. The message that was sent was not a positive one. It took a female entertainer with the foresight to walk to the stage and remove the beer but it was too late, Contone had already spent too much of his performance concentrating on drinking the beer than singing but I guess that was the essence of the song, "Hard times hit me, i gin and drink something now" and so he did!!

With eager anticipation the audience awaited the moment when Mikey would grace the stage but before that the stage was darkened and balloons with his name rained down on the audience. It was then that pandemonium started as his fans rushed to the stage and partied hearty!! Minus the special effects of glitter,confetti etc Mikey's performance was nothing short of spectacular. Only an explosion can keep him from the Party Monarch finals. Blood the final calypsonian who judged for the night continued to maintain the high energy level created by Mikey with DAT IS WHAT I TALKING BOUT. It was as thought you were being given a sneak preview of what to expect at next weeks' finals.

All in all The show was one of the best for the season.

My picks for the Party Monarch Competition in random order are:
Ishaika McNeil
Peach
Statement
Mikey
Blood
Mr. Dale
Bumba
Bruce Chandler (dark horse)

Article by Stephanie Chase
Date - July 17th 2008
Venue - The Lester Vaugh Secondary School

With rain pattering on the roof of Queen's College Secondary School House of Soca Calypsonians faced the NCF Judges for the second time. This time around it was for the Pic-O-De-Crop competition. Anthony "Admiral" Nelson was the master of ceremonies with Simsimma filling in at intervals. Each calypsonian gave a good account of himself but only a few rose to the occasion on the night. If crowd response & support had anything to do with who was selected for the semi-finals HeeHaw, Jael and Dragon Slayer would be parked up at the Sir Garfield Sobers Gymnasium next week awaiting entry. The presence of God would surely guide them if that were to be the case.

Jude "Heehaw" Clarke was a candle which did not dim. His first presentation was entitled DEY WANT WE TO PRAYER. He was immaculately attired and dominated the stage from the moment he stepped on it. The song which was about hypocrisy in society and only calling on God when things go wrong. He encouraged the audience to live life the right way. His second song LOVE HIM UP had people dancing around the aisles, waving and clapping as he reemphasized that "some people say they love him but they ain't going nowhere .........but to the pit of hell I say!!" Throughout both performances his diction was clear and he was blessed to have two melodic arrangements. He will be one to watch for the semi-finals. He left the stage both times to deserving thunderous shouts and applause.

Suzette JAEL Braithwaite could have been mistaken for a hip hop or rhythm & blues star heading to a club when she stepped on stage bedecked in a black body hugging pants, white top, black leather bustier waistcoat and red boots which were complimented with red accessories. Her first rendition was WE AINT GOING NOWHERE and spoke about how Christians are portrayed throughout the Crop Over festival. She sounded as though she was shouting and appeared out of breath during intervals. Her second song which was written by Mathew Clarke and arranged by Paul Murrell was ASK ME FOR I KNOW. This song appeared to be about self-revelation which could be misinterpreted as condemnation of others... In the song she sang, "not bashing the young lady... look a good girl gone bad, no umbrella to shield you." She then stated emphatically that she loved Rihanna during the middle of the song but she had to speak out about the road that she was heading down. Jael then went on to sing, "Husbands used to sleep with me but I am not a bad girl turn good, I am now a wife..." implying that she too was with Sin but God turned her life around and if He could change her He could change anyone. She left the stage both times to thunderous shouts and applause.

Owen DRAGON SLAYER John has a tonal quality to his voice which tends to sound very nasal. His first rendition was DEM FRAUDS which spoke about people who portray one thing in public and the total opposite behind close doors. Half of his face was painted white it is assumed to portray light vs. darkness, good vs. evil etc. He wore a red and white suit with a white top hat and looked quite smart, In his song he stated that men were the head of the household and so when women get upset with their husbands they should not get vex and shut up shop. The song was quite pitchy but no-one may have noticed with a certain segment of the audience sing every-single word of the chorus. His second praise offering was EMANCIPATION which basically stated that only Jesus was able to emancipate anyones' mind. He stated in the song that he was not racist. He also left the stage both times to shouts and claps.

Veteran calypsonian Termite gave a sterling rendition of THE CULTURE HOUSE which was a song about the destruction of the calypso art form. It contained lots of factual information and is a well written song with strong melody lines and a catchy arrangement. As usual Termite's attire was pristine and one could not find anything wrong with his performance. He used the stage excellently and showcased why he remained in the calypso arena for so long. His years of experience may have worked in his favor. His second song which was a tribute to Jackie Opel called WHO IS THE MAN has a Spouge element and is not as strong as his first lyrically or melodically and he should consider changing it. The audience showed modest appreciation.

Shawnie seemed to be having some problems with his voice; however his first song EXPOSE was a hit with the audience. He showcased good diction, was the only calypsonian originally from the tent to get the audience to participate by waving their hands. The cleverly written song addressed all of the issues plaguing society which were swept under a carpet. Shawnie believed that everything should be exposed as he sang, "how de hell kid-site could be selling car when everyday he does be slamming tar, if u get send up to prison he gin need some Vaseline in a jar..." His second song was about the dangers of HIV/AIDS and promoted safe sex. He provided some factual information to the audience such as 33 million people in the world are infect and 2 million people have died from this pandemic. The song tended to be boring and was a bit pitchy.

Popsical wrote INVASION himself and the song dealt with the Giant African Snail. He missed his entry for the third verse but recovered quite well. The song had the audience in stitches as he sang about eating snails because they were so many around. His second rendition KILL DEM BEES was very well written.

Sir Ruel and 18 year old finalist in the Junior Calypso Monarch just may get a ticket to the semi-finals his renditions were both superb. He exhibited excellent diction and use of stage. His PARTY SONG which was written by reigning calypso monarch Red Plastic Bag brought a new dimension to the audience and they totally appreciated " who party get licks? Who party get fix? Who party play bo-peep and end up losing their sheep? Who party 10 down who a party 20 strong? I want you to sing along when I sing the party song!!".

De Hawk would be turning 70 years old in a few weeks time offered De Hawk and Come Back & Sing.

Other performers on the night were Cliff Williams, Young G, Baje, Danielle. Theatrical entertainment came from Double Laff Theatre which did not go down well with a segment of the audience but had others rolling over with laughter.

The show was sponsored by C. O. Williams Construction Limited, Romaro Uniform Centre, SBI Distribution, Bionic Man Shop and Genesis Boutique.

It will be difficult to select more than two people from this tent because most of the Calypsonians only had one good song; however, my picks from The House of Soca Calypso Tent for Pic-O-De-Crop would be HeeHaw, and Termite with Sir Ruel as a dark horse.

Article by Stephanie Chase

Everyone was infected with the festival fever as Crop Over 2008 was launched with a Big Bang in Queen's Park on Saturday July 5, 2008. The massive crowd was in for a number as treats as Queen's Park was transformed into an African Heritage Village with various stages for fashion shows, steel pan playing, dancing and performances for the best local entertainers. As usual the ceremony started with the blessing of the last canes, presentations to the King and Queen of the Crop along with individuals who have contributed to the development of the festival.

As the irrepressible Mac Fingall took over as master of ceremonies from Wayne "Cool" Simmons the crowd drew closer to the stage as they eagerly anticipated the all-star line up for the Sunset Concert. This segment of the Opening Gala was originally slated to be a tribute to eight-time Calypso King Stedson "Red Plastic Bag" Wiltshire, but plans were altered due to the protest from a few of his peers. Mac Fingall read excerpts of a letter sent by Bag to the NCF declaring his non-participation in the "tribute" and stated that he "only wants to make music which promotes the art form and makes Barbados proud and does not wish to be involved in any controversy". Mac reminded everyone that judging is on the night of the Pic-O-De Crop finals and therefore the tribute should not be considered an event that would have an impact on the Pic-O-De Crop contest. The crowd was clearly sympathetic to the multi-time king as evidenced by their rapturous applause whenever Red Plastic Bag's name was mentioned.

The 2008 Junior Monarch Calypso Band set the tone of the entertainment with a wonderful Spouge medley paying tribute to the late Jackie Opal following which they provided backing for all of the performing artists.

Terencia "TC" Coward commonly referred to as THE PEOPLE'S QUEEN was the first artist on stage and she announced that she was personally paying tribute to RPB much to the delight of the large crowd at hand. Then TC launched into the STAY CALYPSO which was written by RPB and was very well received. TC has one of if not the best female voice for social commentary in Barbados and she is very respected throughout the Caribbean. As she glided across the stage one would hope that she competes this year because she is in excellent form.

Next up was Anderson "Blood" Armstrong with a credible rendition of his 2006 song INTERDEPENDENCE which was also written by RPB and earned him 3rd place in the Pic-O-De-Crop Competition that year.

Natalie Burke was her usual dynamic self while performing another RPB penned tune entitled I Got To Dance, her gyrations, stage presence, diction and the polish with which she performed exuded class and clearly sent ripples of energy through the crowd as she connected with her fans. Natalie also vocalized her support for RPB and got the crowd to join and by shouting "BAG WE LOVE YOU!!"

Next up was Smokey Burke with his politically themed 2008 offering of Licks Like Peas. This may be a song to watch over the coming weeks.

The Mighty Gabby was his usual animated self as he performed Culture, one of the songs which won him Pic-O-De-Crop crown in 1985. However, it was when Gabby sang the perennial favorite Boots which rocked the airwaves in 1983 that the crowd "started to do bad!!". Both songs were well received particularly by those in the audience who were on the Calypso party scene during the 1980s.

The Mighty Gryner (Seven-time Road March winner) contributed I Remember, Mr T which on him the Road March title in 1983 and Leggo I Hand which won him the Road March again in 1989. Those two latter songs are arguably two of the biggest hits of his long, successful and explosive career.

Mr. Dale performed the 2007 Road March and People's Choice winner Soca Junkie and a 2008 release of Til Um Dun. Realistically everyone will compare Mr. Dale's 2008 release to that of Soca Junkie but Til Um Dun is actually more melodical and the musical arrangement is fantastic. Though people might argue that the hook "Oh no we aint going home" is not as strong as "I'm a soca junkie yeah yeah" it will catch on. What may not work in his favor is the lateness in which the song was released. What this means is that he would have to market the song strongly.

The show was closed with the Chiwawa Business Man aka Hypa Dawg aka Lil Rick. Even before he stepped onto the stage the crowd was chanting "cyan wait! cyan wait! cyant wait!!" Lil Rick asked the band to play low so that he could also voice his support for RPB. As the band struck up Lil Rick threw down his 2007 hit Cyah Wait to the delight of the fans and he really got the crowd jumping and begging for more with his stage antics and replications of the wukupmentations of various Soca luminaries. Rick also took the opportunity to introduce one of his son's (Middle Dawg) to the fans. Under Dawg, his eldest son could not be present because he had to perform in a calypso tent. Lil Rick had the crowd in stitches as he reiterated the fact that his artistic immortality will live on through his offspring, and he seems to be grooming them quite well. Rick and Middle Dawg engaged in a hilarious dance off, before Rick brought the show to a close on a high note.

If the launch is anything to go by Crop Over 2008 will be a smash hit and if Red Plastic Bag didn't know he now knows how much he is loved by the Barbadian Public.

Article by George Thomas & Stephanie Chase

Edited by Stephanie Chase

The Trimart Supermarkets Hit Parade Calypso Tent was not as strong as it was in previous years as its tent members faced the judges. One could only hope that the Calypsonians were not placed at a disadvantage because of the fact that the tent has only had one performance for the season.

The show opened with a technical glitch when the recording of the National Anthem did not play. The audience members after about two minutes of waiting took it upon themselves to sing the anthem. The reigning Junior Calypso Monarch Rico "COCO" Gaskin had the task of warming up the audience. Coco gave a fair performance but he really needs to work on how he uses his voice since he tended to shout and strain, which could damage his vocal chords. If he is to be in fine form for Junior Monarch Finals he must either sing from his diaphragm or the arranger of his song WRONG FELLOW should lower the key.

Suneeta "SUNEETA" Brooker was the first to face the judges as she rendered a ragga soca number called IN TO YOU. She transformed from a timid individual into an appealing symbol of sensuality on stage. The song allowed her to show her vocal range and she appeared to be very comfortable and confident. Suneeta's social commentaries were not as strong as her ragga soca offerings. The song CORE VALUES which was written by Sir Don Marshall was extremely wordy, boring and simply was not melodic. The song dealt with the decaying moral values in society and blamed the books that people read along with the television programs. NOBODY AINT FRIGHTEN AGAIN which was written by William SMOKEY Burke was stronger and Suneeta appeared more at ease with this particular song. She has grown over the years and even if she does not make it to the semi-finals she will surely improve in the future if she finds a song-writer who will write for her in mind and not just give her any old song to sing.

Omowale "MUSIKAL" Stewart announced that this would be his final year competiting after spending twenty years in competition. Musikal seemed to have developed his very own style of calypso over the years as he continues to render catchy and witty songs with serious punch lines. His first song EVERYTHING GONE UP dealt with the high cost of living but someone reminded me of PJ's RICE GONE UP. Be that as it may the audience members had a blast as he sang. His second composition entitled FREE has a beautiful melody structure and with these two simple yet effective well written songs it would be difficult to count him out of the running.

Dionne "DIONNE" Forte sang MONARCHY also by Sir Don Marshall. The song sounded as though it was too fast but Dionne handled it well. It seems that Sir Don wrote this calypso with his own phrasing in mind and should remember that the young Calypsonians hardly ever phrase calypso as it was done twenty years ago. This song was another wordy song which tended to come over as though too many words were packed into one verse. The lyrics; however, were very strong as they listed many reasons why Barbados should have a female calypso monarch. Dionne delivered the song with the confidence and charisma obtained over the years. She was noticeably more comfortable with the John King penned KEEP ON PUSHING which lyrically dealt with the development of the society she encouraged listeners to, "keep on pushing forward regardless of their situations". Dionne's best performance on the night was her party monarch selection ITS BECAUSE OF YOU which was written by Chrystal Cummins-Beckles. She commanded the stage like a demon on a mission. Her well thought out presentation added to the excitement on the night. With great diction, strong lyrics and a fantastic arrangement there is no reason why she should not make it down East Coast Road.

Julianna "JULIE" Sealy is a calypsonian who year after year brings a freshness to the competition but for some unknown reason whenever she has great material she is always overlooked. She should have made it to the Pic-O-De-Crop semi-finals on at least three occasions but has never had the honour. It is feared that this year would be no different. Her offering of FOWL COCK PARTY is just not a strong song. She tried very hard to entice the audience but started to shout. Her second rendition MY NAME IS RAGGA SOCA was judged for both competitions and was well executed. As the title implies the song was a ragga soca number.

Anderson "MR. IMPACT" Ward had two of the better written and arranged songs on the night of judging. WHERE IS MY COUNTRY which was written by Wendell Callender highlighted all of the landmarks, such as The Barbados National Bank, which were bought over by Trinidad and Tobago. One got the sense of urgency of Barbados being sold out under our noses when he sang "where is my country? We need to take action to take back our land .... we need to take action to protect our nation." During his second song DESTRUCTIVE PEOPLE Mr. Impact forgot his lyrics but recovered well had it not been for his facial expression no-one would have been the wiser. With his strong stage presence and excellent voice it would be difficult to under-estimate him.

From the moment BONGO stepped onto the stage in his turquoise and red sequenced costume the audience was in stitches. His self-penned IT AINT CALYPSO attacked all of the songs which in his opinion were not calypso. As he, "ahhhhh let um out as hard times hit me," he gave the audience reasons why he had to drink something because of there was no more Jean and Dinah calypso has changed!!. The song which Bongo judged for Party Monarch was RIHANNA "if you love Rihanna raise your rag, if you love Rihanna raise your flag, if you love Rihanna raise your flag high, high raise it higher and higher Rihanna we love you!". The audience called for more and more�need I write more?

Just when you thought that Errol "Malik" Gooding had things under control he did only what Malik does best .... he forgot his words! Good thing that he was not being judged as the audience roared with laughter and Malik laughed along like only he would.

COLIN SPENCER stood behind a podium which had Prime Minister David Thompson's portrait stuck on it as he sang SHOW THEM WE ARE IN CHARGE. He appeared to have been suffering from sore throat but battled through his performance flawlessly. His second song PROMISES dealt with all the issues that Calypsonians promised to deal with but never have and according to Colin Spencer it was because they all went back on their word. This calypso big gun is heading straight to Kensington Oval should he not it will be bare chaos here in BARBADOS!!!

The lighting technician made a mess of Russell "RUSTY" Oliver's presentation by fumigating the stage with so much smoke that one could hardly see Rusty's performance which was excellent. Rusty set a festive mood as his band took over the stage for his performance of Burning up. There was so much smoke at one point in time that some members of the audience started to run from the front of the stage fearing something was on fire!!

Heather "BIG HEATHER" Downe's party monarch offering really was not suitable for the competition. The Song DE DRINKER was extremely slow and is not a song that a person could chip to on Kadooment day or in any party.

Bert "PANTA" Browne with his GET CONNECTED should go straight to East Coast. Words cannot describe Panta's performance as he appeared on stage dressed in a black body-fitting suit, purple cape, silver head-tie and a mask similar to that worn on Zorro. Panta started to connect with the outer world by taking his cape and trying to fly. The song is a very catching tune and the audience had a tremendous time as he performed.

Keisha "KEISHA" Christian performed FESTIVAL TIME very well. She was in fine voice and form. Closing off the show was William SMOKEY Burke who did not judge with the tent but will be judging with De Big Show.

This tent is one which has great potential and management needs to determine whether they are interested in preserving the longevity of the tent. They need to create a more wholesome package for the consumers. A tent with such great promise should present to the public a more professional entertainment package. If the calypso art-form is to be sustained a rum-shop mentality must not be adopted. The late opening of the tent may not have hampered the performance of the more seasoned Calypsonians but for young artists who are not used to performing to a very harsh and judgmental public they would have needed more time.

Article by Stephanie Chase

Pic-O-De-Crop Judgement has started and first out of the gates was House Of Soca Calypso Tent. Their judging has been split in two and their tent members were judged for the Party Monarch Competition last night at Queens College Secondary School.

FLexi had the audience up in arms with his BEATIN NO BITIN which when one hears the lyrics can be open to misinterpretation....Psycho & Flesh teamed up to perform WHINE UP which came over as a mass of confusion. What was impressive was that Flesh sang while dancing on stilts while Psycho performed in a costume similar to Humpty Dumpty who sat on a wall. The dancers were wukking up wherever and whenever during the song. They seemed to have little co-ordination. Psycho & Flesh needed to work more on their diction and vocal quality. Returning national Termite was simply a breath of fresh air. With solid lyrics and a great musical arrangement Termite used his experience and slick foot movements to entice the audience to WUK DA WAIST. Termite dominated the first half of the show. Popsicle had the best lyrically written song of the first half; however after performing his song DE RIGHT band leader James Lovell asked that he be allowed to perform the song again because the band could not hear anything on stage through the monitors. The crowd agreed that Popsicle should not be placed at a disadvantage so he performed exuberantly again. His song was about the right to enjoy Crop Over positively. He advised during the song that we should either abstain or buy a condom without being shame. The song was very well received and his costume of vibrant colour and face paints enhanced his performance. Baje Man came after Popsicle with a court room presentation of being accused of cheating, lying and beating up another man his reply was that they had" DE WRONG MAN!!" Baje Man literally shouted this entire song. Original Duck came with KILL ME WIH WUK which was about being killed with wines from a woman. He tended to go off-key and he was shouting too much.

The Second Half was filled with with lots of excitement and fantastic entertainment. Peter PYPER Harbin's song was entitled DE ROAD TUNE and had a nice arrangement but his dancers were uncoordinated and detracted from his performance. Danielle from the band Kartizan had what could be considered her best performance so far for the season. She sang extremely well and has a very nice tonal quality. Danielle presented herself charmingly to the audience and as this was her first time facing the judges she will be a person to watch in the future. If there was one person who should go straight to the Ermie Bourne Highway for the Party Monarch Competition it would be Jimmy Dan who wowed the audience with a flawless performance. His song DE SESSION promoted all aspects of Crop Over positively. His presentation was well thought out with the King & Queen of the Crop, Stiltmen, Mother Sally and Dancers. His song was well arranged, he had great diction he used the stage well and laid down a solid performance which ended with an explosion of confetti. It was awesome!! Gorg brought some humour on the night with his tune TIPSY which told the audience that "he aint going home till the session done!!" Gorg had the place in a mess with his wining antics. Star Perez-Tudor has blossomed into her own over the years and has certainly stepped out from under Alison Hinds' shadow. Star's performance of GET OUT DE WAY was by far another bright spark during the night and I believe that she should be a finalist in the competition. Her diction was immaculate and she had the best vocals on the night. She glided across the stage quite confidently and her smile simply captivated the audience as she performed with passion. Minus a heap of props Star Perez dominated the stage via the use of her body language and voice and that is indeed what separated and propelled her away from the pack. Radio DJ Tyson "Verseewild" Wilson presented his AZHAM WINE which everyone seemed to know as he sang, "Give she a wine and mek she bawl out Azham!" His dancers were hot hot hot!!! They moved and twisted their bodies into some positions that would make a person's neck break!

The backing band FIRE FORCE was led by James Lovell with Chrystal Cummins-Beckles on keyboards, Mario Burnett on Base Guitar, three horn players and a drummer. Background vocalists were Safia Waheed, Toni Steward, Marsha Hunte and Ian Sealy.

What was interesting on the night that as members of the Ultimate Tent were about to face the judges under The House of Soca Banner the band changed. During this time comic relief came from Jennifer Walker & Yolande Holder from Double Laugh Theatre. The Christians brought their own musicians and the atmosphere in the entire auditorium changed. One question that could be asked was is it that they are supporting Calypso music or only christians singing Calypso? It seems a bit double standard to participate in what could be considered a secular event but still try to segregate yourself....ummmmmmmmm food for thought! Dragon Slayer & HeHaw performed a song entitled PRAISE and obviously had great support from the audience and they sang and chanted why we should give God praise. Jael's song WE AINT GOING NOWHERE was telling people that "the christians aint going nowhere & were here to stay." She struggled to stay in key and quickly ran out of breath. This obviously did nothing to faze some Christian audience members who quickly flew to the front of the stage to dance, jump and wave for Christ. It was as though they wanted to take over the auditorium. Next up was Dragon Slayer who sang once again about Praising God, moving your feet and jumping up.

All in all House of Soca provided a great start to the competition. House of Soca will be back in front of the judges in two weeks for the Pic-O-De-Crop Competition.

Sponsors for the tent are C.O. Williams Construction Limited, Romaro Uniform Centre, SBI Distribution Inc, Turton's Construction, C.D.A Consulting, Genesis Boutique, Tropic Ice and Go Ahead.

Article by Stephanie Chase

The GotRhythm.com eSoca competition runs from May 22nd - August 8th, and is all open to artists from all Caribbean territories. Each artist can enter an unlimited number of songs released in 2008. Voting closes on August 8th at 12:00 mid night.The eSoca competition was designed to attain the following objectives:

• Encourage artists to record and prepare their music for digital download.
• Encourage consumers to purchase legitimate copies of artistic works.
• Inject a new and innovative slant to the Crop Over Festival.

Winners will be determined via online downloads from www.gotrhythm.com. The Artist that performs the song with the most downloads wins BDS $5000.00, Second place wins BDS $2500, third place BDS $1250 and the producer of the song with the most downloads walks away with BDS $1000. This competition provides the truest test of popularity since a vote is represented by a download. The fact that a person is motivated to download a song is a better gauge than merely liking it and listening to it. Consumers will also win prizes for participating in this competition. The 1st, 500th, 1000th etc will receive free Got Rhythm T-Shirts. If we don't get this type of traffic there will be a weekly customer draw, so customers will win regardless. At the end of the competition, the consumer who has purchased the most downloads will win a Digital Camcorder. Additionally, there will be a customer draw with the following prizes: Blackberry Smartphone, Digital Camera and a MP3 player. All prizes will be presented at the GotRhythm.com eSoca party, which will be held at Cafe Jungles Tree Top Restaurant on August 9th. Stay tuned for more details.

There is a dedicated eSOCA Competition page on www.gotrhythm.com/ESocaPage.aspx where Artists and Fans can track the progress of the competition and the fortunes of each artist. Due to the number of entries and standard of talent we expect that the Got Rhythm.Com eSoca Competition will be one of the biggest and most adventurous competitions ever.

The heat is on in Barbados with Calypso tents swinging open their doors over the last weekend. It is anticipated that this Crop Over season will be one of the islands' best ever!! Fourteen calypso tents will face the judges for the increased cash prizes.

According to the National Cultural Foundations' acting corporate specialist Wayne Simmons as quoted in the Daily Nation June 17th 2008 there are 197 people registered to compete in the Party Monarch Competition which takes place on the Ermie Bourne Highway, East Coast, St. Andrew. There will be 127 people facing the judges for the Cable and Wireless Pic-O-De-Crop Competition.

Let's take a look at the the tent diary so that you do not miss out on the judging nights.

• House of Soca - July 2nd - Party Monarch
• Trimart Supermarket Hit Parade - July 3rd - Pic-O-De-Crop / Party Monarch
• Bacchanal Time - July 4th - Pic-O-De-Crop / Party Monarch
• Owlie's Unity Calypso Tent - July 6th - Pic-O-De-Crop / Party Monarch
• D' Party People Tomorrow's Children - July 7th - Party Monarch
• Headliners Tent - July 8th - Pic-O-De-Crop
• The Big Show - July 9th - Party Monarch
• The Experience Tent - July 10th - Pic-O-De-Crop / Party Monarch
• Cave Shepherd All Stars - July 11th - Pic-O-De-Crop / Party Monarch
• Kingdom of Super Gladiators - July 12th Pic-O-De-Crop / Party Monarch
• African Heartbeat Kaiso Expose - July 13th - Pic-O-De-Crop / Party Monarch
• Stray Cats - July 14th - Pic-O-De-Crop / Party Monarch
• House of Soca - July 15th - Pic-O-De-Crop
• Headliners - July 16th - Party Monarch
• The Big Show - July 17th - Pic-O-De-Crop
• Celebrity Tent - July 18th - Pic-O-De-Crop / Party Monarch