Sweet to be back in Bim for the CROP OVER Festival!

Nice and hot, with a cooling breeze, last night at Kensignton Oval for "Sweet and Spicy" presented by the National Cultural Foundation (NCF) and Brewster's Road Crew featuring the semi-finalists of the Sweet Soca and Party Monarch competitions! The judges chose sixteen finalists of the thirty six semi-finalists to perform at SOCA ROYALE at Bushy Park on Sunday July 27th!
The audience seemed to enjoy the Sweet (Groovy)session a lot more than the Party Monarch one that followed it. My group of six certainly appreciated the performers of the first half of the competitions that started around 10:20 p.m. and ended just after 3 a.m. The only performer in the Party Monarch part that moved the patrons was Gorg with his "Meh Rum"! With its meagre offerings I felt that Edwin's Unarrested would've been a finalist, and I would have preferred his "How I Like It" rather than "Pole" for the Sweet Soca Monarch. Anyhow, here are the judges' results:

Sweet Soca
 Biggie Irie - Pankatang; Iweb - Doing Me; Khiomal & Brett - Right Now; Lorenzo - Mad or Wha; Mikey - Next To De Rope; Mr Dale - Stressless; RPB - Rollercoaster; Sanctuary - Mega Monday with Biggie & Imani - Get Over as the reserve.

Party Monarch

Blood - Road; Chrystal - Pantuk; Gorg - Meh Rum; Iweb & Khiomal -Terror; Kirk Brown - Energy; Mikey - No Shame; Mr Dale - De Dawg and Fresh - 100 Proof Bajan. The reserve is Faith “Fate” Callender with Lock It.

Check for other events on the callendar of the NCF at www.ncf.bb. 

Off to the beach to play my usual Saturday afternoon cricket, but not before I eat some puddin' and souse, and have a little nap! Only got about four hours sleep since I got up to do the first of my annual Crop Over reports to  "Kaiso Rising" on CHRY 105.5FM/ www.chry.fm broadcasting from studios at York University!

Be cool! Oh, please check these charts for tunes that I think you'll enjoy!

A.W./KAISO RISING TOP TUNES ending July 5, 2014! – compiled by Alex Waithe

1.  SOCA TRAIN – MIGHTY GRYNNER

2.  THAT IS WHY/ROLLER COASTER – RED PLASTIC BAG

3.  FINE ANTS ON DE PORK – SERENADER

4.  HOW AH LIKE IT – EDWIN/ HOLD YUH – EDWIN & LUTA

5.  PANKATANG – BIGGIE IRIE

6.  STEELBAND COMING DOWN – MEXICAN

7.  GET OVER – IMANI & BIGGIE IRIE

8.  SOCA MAN – FIREMAN HOOPER/ JERK MEAT - MADD

9.  CAN’T KILL MY VIBE/LAST MAN TO LEAVE/I LIKE UM – LIL RICK

10. DOING ME – IAN WEBSTER

11. NAH SUCCUMB – MADZART/ ONE ON ONE - SKARPYON

12. COME OUT TO PARTY/COME OVA - STATEMENT

13. CERTIFIED FETER – BLOOD/ TAKE YOUR CHANCES - AJAMU (NEW)

14. PULL THAT STRING – AJAMU / FIRE ONE – SMOKEY BURKE (NEW)

15. DOWN IN DEY – JAMESEY P/ J.A.M. – KHIOMAL

16. WUKKIN UP – SKUNG YUNG/ AH LITTLE FLING – DELEE (NEW)

17. THE TORTOISE – DE CROONER/ GOD IS A BAJAN – SMOKEY BURKE

18. ISLAND JAM - THE RB QUARTET /MEH RUM – GORG (NEW)

19.  STRESSLESS – MR. DALE/ FEELING – DELEE (NEW)

20. GREAT DAY- LIL RICK/ FLAWLESS – LIL RICK (NEW)

21. OUTA WUK – SERENADER/ SOCA ANIMAL – ALISON HINDS 

22. UPSIDE DOWN – R3CKA/ OBSESSION – PROBLEM CHILD

23. PLAYING FOR TEAM GRENADA – SMALLIES

24. FIESTA – TONY “REBEL” BAILEY & CRYSTAL/ IS A VIBE – FOREIGNER FRANK & LIL RICK (NEW)

25. DE DAWG – MR. DALE/UNGRATEFUL ALCOHOL - CONTONE (NEW)

26. BACHANAL ROAD – IMANI

27. FREE UP YASELF – D2/ START IT – ICON

28. NO STRESS - JENIQUE

29. DE MAS – MIGUEL

30. I’M NOT YOUR WOMAN – VASHTI