Forget Reggae, GIMME SOCA!

I know that I'm supposed to like reggae. Cool people did the island sound, mon. And I do like it to a point. It's pleasantly and inoffensive. Bob Marley was most definitely a cool guy. But, you know, as with a lot of popular music, it's all sort of blah to me.

The music I prefer is Soca, which hails from Trinidad. Soca is sort of a blend of soul and calypso. It originated in the early 1970's by an artist named Lord Shorty and a song called Indrani. It's lively uptempo rythym quickly made the style very popular in dance halls.

Perhaps the most famous practitioner of Soca is Arrow, whose song, Hot Hot Hot became an international hit. It was recorded in various languages, and the great Buster Poindexter had a big hit with it in the 1980's. Anyone that smirks at me calling Buster Poindexter great has obviously not heard his amazing album of drinking songs, Buster's Happy Hour.

I became aware of the Soca style from The Mosquito Coast soundtrack. I love that movie and I also love Jean Michel Jarre minimalist electronic score. But there is a great Soca song on it by a performer named Gabby. The song is called, appropriately enough, Gimme Soca.

So the next time you're in the mood for some island music, or you want to celebrate Jah, give Soca a try.