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The 2012 Monarch was, however, no match for Linden’s Lester ‘De Professor’ Charles, who rained hellfire as he made light work of the competition, Young Bill Rogers included. His piece was entitled ‘God nah Sleep’, and it was well researched, well orchestrated, and delivered with the finesse and raunchy fervour associated with real Calypso.
In second place was Young Bill Rogers, who performed ‘This country was neva like this’; while newcomer Daria ‘Queen Davey’ Barrow, and Dawn ‘Lady D’ Edwards tied for third place with songs, ‘Hammie said don’t blame he’, and ‘Wrong place at the wrong Time’ respectively.
Since there was a tie for third place, no fourth position was awarded in the competition.
Donna ‘Princess Patricia’ Jones again came on stage in fine style, and blazed a trail for the others to follow. With explosive demeanour and great theatrics, she performed her song, ‘De Police’, stating bluntly that she does not want to be in that profession because of all the wrongdoings of the police today.
She was well applauded for her efforts.
Karen ‘Queen Makeeba’ Bennett delivered, as expected, a stirring performance, but failed to persuade the judges to allot her a spot among the finalists. However, her song, ‘Is Man’, was a flashpoint of amusement in the audience.
Rudolph ‘Sweet Kendingo’ Kendall was a picture of assured self-confidence, and his demeanour must have convinced quite a few people that he had his act worked out; but he needed more than confidence to take on the likes of the actual winners. He failed to make his mark among the top three calypsonians in performing ‘Let the country move On’.
More was expected from Lindon ‘Sniper’ Thomas, who performed excellently at the semi-finals. Somehow, on the night of the finals, his act seemed to lack the gusto he had brought to the stage at the semi-finals in Linden. His song was called ‘Hey Bishop’.
As expected, Malcolm ‘Lord Canary’ Corrica delivered a stirring performance as he sang ‘Now that I am alive’. The audience appreciated his efforts.
Estella ‘Calyso Stella’ has tons of experience, but will certainly have to spice up her performances with a little theatrics and drama if she expects to win future competitions. Her rendition was ‘The system is wrong’.
Dawn ‘Lady D’ Edwards is certainly heading places in the Calypso world; and she demonstrated at this event that with a little sprucing up, she would be a real ‘hard nut to crack’ at Guyanese calypso competitions. Expectedly, her performance earned her the number three spot among the contenders. Her song was titled, ‘Wrong place at the wrong Time’.
It was the drama that newcomer Daria ‘Queen Davey’ Barrow brought to the stage — coupled with her props, costume and choice of topic — that sent her racing to third place, above many of the seasoned competitors. Her excellent performance of ‘Hammie said don’t blame me’, which sent the audience into fits of approving laughter, dealt with the issue of garbage in the country, and the Mayor and City Council’s inability to deal with the situation in Georgetown.
Martin ‘Mighty Voter’ Byrne’s performance was very pleasant, but, this time around, he needed to bring his ‘A Game’ to the stage. And in not so doing, he failed to make it to the top, as was anticipated. He performed ‘Let God be the judge’.
Lindon Thomas’s performance was also very entertaining.
The show was further accentuated with a spectacular performance by Trinidadian calypsonian ‘The Mighty Explainer’, and a very colourful display by models showcasing the Banks DIH Mashramani 2013 costumes.
