Soca Warriors!



Next week, I'll be traveling to Barbados. People may associate a handful of things with Barbados--Rhianna, flying fish or even a British sensibility. But for me, Barbados represents my favorite soca band, Krosfyah. Soca music is the manic, hip-swaying, offspring of calypso. It's most associated with Carnival time and Crop Over in Barbados but for true soca warriors, all the time is soca time. Soca never quite broke in the U.S., most Americans prefer the more languid melodies of roots reggae. Soca requires energy and rhythm. It's party music with a non-stop, staccato beat and Krosfyah works it like no one else can. I wrote a biography for Krosfyah at Allmusic here But to sum up Krofyah, I'd say that they stir up joyful, sexy, sounds made for fast-paced moves and all night partying. Founder and lead singer Edwin Yearwood wraps his silky, cajoling voice around a tune and pulls you in sweetly. Krosfyah displays a lot more soul and well-crafted songs than most soca groups, which is why they're my favorite. Krosfyah songs blend sunny days and light-hearted moods into every melody. And like those perfect, sun-filled days, you never want them to end. Check out this old school Krosfyah video, it's hillariously cheesy but the spirit of the music shines brighter than that 90s dayglo dress.

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Anonymous said…
I'm not getting through to either one of your articles :(.
October 24, 2008 at 8:41 PM
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