–The field now down to 13
SCORES turned out Saturday night to lend support to their favourite artiste among the 18 contestants who graced the stage at the N/A Stelling Tarmac in Berbice for the run-off of the semi-final leg of the annual Carib Soca Monarch contest.
And in spite of a delay in the start of proceedings by almost three hours, occasioned by an unexpected downpour of rain, fans were determined to get in on the action. And the artistes certainly did not disappoint.
In the end, 13 were chosen to go to the final Saturday night at the National Park, where they will join defending champion, Jumo ‘Rubber Waist’ Primo, in vying for bragging rights and $1.5M in prizes.
The 13 finalists are Timeka Sinclair, Shellon Garraway, Jamal Gittens, Ernesta Nelson, Quacy Coates, Melissa Roberts, Abigail James, Jonathan King, Roger Bowen, Orlando Johashen, Kwesi Edmonds, Clifton Adolphus and Compton Boyce.
At first, the Berbician crowd seemed to be least interested in the efforts of the earlier performers, but they certainly came alive when Sinclair, alias ‘Lady T’, and Johashen, alias ‘Bones Man’, took to the stage.
‘Lady T’ apparently brought the entire Ancient County to support her maiden run in the Carib Soca Monarch competition, and her performance at just the semi-final stage has left tongues wagging and most Berbicians speculating on her chances of lifting the crown, as anticipation deepens regarding her fate at the National Park this weekend.
Her track, entitled ‘Hit the Road’, was done with a blistering performance, even though she exceeded her five-minute allotment on stage.
‘Bones Man’, winner of the 2010 Carib Soca Monarch title, unleashed a high-tempo, energetic performance of his entry, ‘Blow’. The song, which tells the story of how men and women cheat while in a relationship, was well received, as his fans all sang along and gyrated in sync with his instructions.
‘Shelly G’ won the Soca Monarch title in 2009, but has since either entered and never showed up to perform, or just simply stayed away from the competition. However, she returned five years later with ‘Give it to me’, a groovy track that she performed well, much to the delight of the crowd.
Last year’s Best Newcomer award recipient and second place finisher, Kwesi ‘Ace’ Edmonds, was also given good reception by the Berbician audience. His track, ‘Still in the game’, is arguably a clear favourite to clinch the title this year. It could be heard being played on every radio station and in the clubs around the country, which made it very easy for persons to sing along. Though his performance was not one to ‘wow’ about, persons understood that the artiste was just playing it safe by doing just enough to get him through to the finals.
Although Melissa ‘Vanilla’ Roberts has never won the competition, she is considered a threat to the title. ‘Yada Yada’ is the song she has entered in this year’s Monarch competition, and pundits believe that her wealth of experience and a good performance of her track can see her clinching her first monarchy.
Another newcomer, Ernesta Nelson, was able to win some new fans by keeping them entertained during her rendition of ‘Ridiculous Wining’ in a performance that was good enough to see her through to the National Park.
Jonathon ‘Lil Red’ King is another artiste whose track, “Who we are’, is receiving heavy airplay; but he seemed not his usual self on stage, and didn’t live up to the hype of the song.
The judges probably felt he would bring his ‘A’ game next time around, and, as such, afforded him a chance to be in the final.
With $1.5M up for grabs in this year’s competition, and judging from some of the performances at the semi-finals, it’s safe to say that the 2014 Carib Soca Monarch competition would be one of the best ever staged in its decade-long history.
Written By Rawle Toney
