Calypso Invasion

by King Selewa & His Calypsonians

Overview

King Selewa, a musician having made the journey (both physical and musical) from Africa to Jamaica and finally to Trinidad, presents here a fine collection of simple, happy calypso in the pre-steelband form. The instrumentation is based around the guitar and drums (with a horn section here and there), the vocals are repetitive and catchy, and the mood is light. There's somewhat less of the political commentary common to some of the classic calypso singers (Lord Invader, Attila the Hun), but a bit can be heard still in pieces such as "Mami Watta." The African influence is strong in the percussion here (and indeed, in a few of the Yoruban-based songs as whole entities), and the horns can provide an able piece of accentuation whenever needed. The sound overall though is light, danceable, and relatively simple. Much of this is what made Harry Belafonte such a hit in his day, and there's a reason for that. Selewa doesn't seem to have Belafonte's charisma here, but that's a rather tall order, and the musical backing is still worth hearing. ~ Adam Greenberg

Product Details

Release Date:	08/14/2007
Label:	Arc Music
UPC:	0743037207621
Rank:	221814

Tracks

1. Calypso Invasion
2. Osine O De
3. Mami Watta
4. Africa
5. Jumbie Jamboree
6. Trinidad Is the Place For Me
7. Olomia
8. Shango
9. I Don't Know How di Young Me Livin'
10. Mamito's Calypso
11. J'Ouvert Barre Oh
12. Congo Bara
13. Under di Mango Tree
14. Down da Road
15. Exploiting
16. King Selew's Tribute

Album Credits

Performance Credits

King Selewa & His Calypsonians   Primary Artist,Percussion,Vocals
Mina   Vocals
Garlic Hooper   Trumpet
Yumi   Sax (Soprano),Sax (Tenor)
Zeze   Percussion,Vocals
Alex   Vocals,Percussion,Glockenspiel
Frank   Double Bass
Chico   Guitar,Vocals
Seb   Violin
Sheikh Rachid Abourrakha   Percussion
Lord Skalipsoul   Guest Artist,Vocals

Technical Credits

King Selewa   Composer
Thierry De Crozals   Composer
Thomas "Chico" Richeux   Composer
Cecil Anderson   Composer
Jeannine Blanpain   Translation
Alex Stokes   Cover Design
Hubert Raphael Charles   Composer
Stephen G. Taylor   Mastering,Engineer,Mixing
Ute Entwistle   Translation
Rufus Callender   Composer
Barbara Papadopoulos   Layout Design,Typesetting
Harold McNair   Composer
King Selewa & His Calypsonians   Composer,Arranger
Diz Heller   Pre-Mastering,Liner Notes
Keskidee Trio   Arranger
Traditional   Composer