JUST as was expected, this year’s Carib Soca Monarch competition reeked of riveting entertainment and excitement. The singers were all very good. But in the end, it was X’s 2 Jomo Primo who took the top spot in the competition. In second place was the young Lindener, George Anthony Abrahams, while Adrian Dutchin placed third.
From as early as 21:00 hrs the Heatwave Band truly entertained patrons with some of the more hyped and upbeat selections of today. And their lead singer, Calvin Burnette, had the crowd revelling in abandon quite early as he belted out some very popular soca hits.
However, the MC combination of Kirk ‘Chow Pow’ Jardine and Classique Dance Company’s Leslyn Lashley was a total disaster. Advice to the queen of dance…. stick with the theatrics and dancing, MCing a show is just not your thing. Chow Pow tried his best at intervals, but Miss Lashley killed the act completely and created much amusement for the crowd, as she shrieked into the microphone every time.
First to hit the stage were the duo Mysterious and Tropical who were indeed very entertaining. They filled the National Park with rich, powerful vocals and it was evident they were crowd favourites. They had a royal entrance in an ambulance and were indeed attired as medical personalities. Their act was electric and one has to agree that they were indeed a perfect opening act.
Adrian Dutchin’s song, ‘I’m a Guyanese’, was a smooth piece and was somewhat different from the other upbeat presentations. It truly reflected Guyana’s rich colours, ethnic diversity, and many cultures. With abundant balloons and confetti, this singer was well received as usual, but someone should advise him not to use those over-weight male backup dancers.
Ivelaw Campbell’s popularity scored him a good response at the opening, but somewhere along the way the audience lost interest, and not even his customary amusing dance routines could not peak their interest. He performed his song, ‘African Moods’. However his backup dancers were excellent and the audience was in for a treat when one onstage character, ‘Pastor Grabble’, flung many of Campbell’s CD’s into the crowd.
Wild card section artiste, Lil Red, had his many supporters, but he killed it all by taking ages to arrive on stage. He arrived swinging from the air on a ladder and almost fell off causing the crowd to hold their collective breath. His dancers were good, and he was impressive at the beginning, but after a while he became boring.
Soca veteran Beverly Williams was her usual saucy self, performing ‘On the Road’ in a frenzy. Her entrance was good, but at intervals the audience was unable to hear what she was mouthing into the microphone. Nevertheless, her act was quite entertaining.
Sweet Kendingo has a good voice but should remain in the calypso realm where he truly belongs. His presentation was more of a cCalypso style display, and the audience failed to budge. And his two female backup dancers were just lame. However, a very elderly female dancer of his came on stage and just exploded, rolling her hips and gyrating as if to give him a spot in the final three top spots. Sadly that did not happen. She flung poor Kendingo to the stage and straddled him. The audience loved this of course, and many were doubling over with laughter.
Young Bill Rogers too failed to impress the crowd, and many agreed that soca competitions were just not his thing. He was energetic and entertaining, but no amount of pleading from him evoked any response from the crowd.
The National Park just exploded when the eventual winner Jomo Primo appeared on stage. The crowd screamed in delight and he delivered an act that could not be matched by any other performer. His dancers and his costume definitely reflected his song’ One People, One Nation, One Destiny’ and they all together enthralled the audience. Many screamed their approval as he demonstrated the dances of the six different races. He left the audience begging for more when he exited.
Orlando ‘Bonesman’ Jonashen did all in his power to defend his crown and indeed put on quite a good show. He was his usual high-energy, raunchy self, but had serious problems with his breathing and diction. However his costume and choreography were very impressive.
Pandemonium broke out when young George Anthony Abrahams took the stage in shiny costume. He connected instantly with the entire audience and they voiced their approval with deafening roars and screaming. His theatrics were very amusing and of course he sent a warning that he is a new force to be reckoned with in this arena. It was no surprise that he placed second. He received the loudest applause from the audience.
Roger Byrne just failed to move the crowd and seemed a bit nervous during his performance; and of course his ‘not so good’ backup dancers did not help his situation at all. To make matters worse, he attempted an exit on a ladder that swung from a forklift, and almost fell off, much to the delight of the heckling crowd.
Melissa ‘Vanilla’ Roberts evoked the very hidden ancestral vibes in every patron as she performed ‘Rage’. Her body shaking was indeed impressive as well as her props and dancers. She played with the minds of her audience and from the looks on their faces and the way they were prancing around, told us that she had awakened the ‘African ancestral spirits’. It was surprising that she did not place in the top three. And of course the Classique Dancers brought their A Game to the stage during her presentation.
Dwayne Shepherd brought the curtain down with his song ‘Wuk up pon It’, and of course had the audience celebrating. His dance moves were very suggestive, and props reflecting royal heritage certainly did well for his act. He kept the energy throughout his performance, and brought quite an interesting finish to the Carib Soca Monarch 2012.