CHRISTAFARI & FRIENDS  'Soca Baptism'

Soca Music, as everyone knows, is the typical musical product of Trinidad and Tobago, so like Reggae is the one of Jamaica.  This Special kind of music was created in 1973 by a rasta of Trinidad, Ras Shorty I that thought to melt in a one style the afro-caraibic sounds and the Indian ones of the banghra uniting in this manner the musical traditions of two cultures present in the two islands.  In the course of the years the Soca Music grew  a lot in popularity and has always been more resentful  of the evolution of the reggae of the close one Jamaica.  And so here we arrive at this  ‘Soca Baptism’, umpteenth interesting production of Christafari (yes, the name always more commune identifies the alone one singer and producer Mark Mohr).  This showcase of the talents (strictly all Gospel, like the label Lion Of Zion asks for) of Trinidad and Tobago show us how much the music of those two islands is now inseparable from the speech of the reggae, givened that here we deal with a series of pieces in which the ragga and the style invented by Ras Shorty I melt themselves without solution of continuance.  In fact, the artists here present besides Christafari I are almost all deejays and singjays clearly devoted to the styles of Buju, Sizzla and co. and they ride the  Soca riddim like if it was dancehall.  In effects the Soca that we listen in this ya disk resembles a lot fastened raga riddims and the  resulting effect is captivating, with points really exciting.  Between the here present artists I would want signal Jadee, Lion’s Pride, Jah Pickney (a deejay that resembles a lot Sweetie Irie and that splits really with its ‘Trinity Divnty’), the already known Sherwin Gardner and Temple Yard, group composed from those that were once, together with Mark, the members of the band Christafari.  Finally I would want to do an approval to Mark ‘Christafari’ Mohr – here present with the attractive one ‘Straight and Narrow’ – that is an intelligent producer and attentive to the tendencies of the Caribbean music but that is also a singer and musician really provided: whether he is producing  a compilation of reggae, of African music or, like in this case, of Soca, the good Mark always puts in it a piece of his own, and that is always a fine piece.  And that is mark of exceptional versatility and skill.  RasWalter

Label   LION OF ZION

official site:

WWW.LIONOFZION.COM