Mighty Sparrow - "Party Classics 2" (1988)

This record is what my 11-year-old daughter chose completely by herself, without any directions or influence, from a record store as a Christmas gift for me. One can of course wonder what she was thinking. Why did she choose this particular record from the thousands of LPs that were there? Was it something on the cover that attracted her? Did the album give the impression of something fantastic? It is interesting anyway, as it's not something I would have chosen myself. The record collection has become a bit more eclectic. Mighty Sparrow was a completely unknown name to me.

Mighty Sparrow, aka Slinger Francisco, is a legendary calypso and soca singer (soca = Soul of Calypso, a hybrid of these styles, created as a way to energize the calypso in the 70's). He was born in Grenada in 1935 but moved to Trinidad at the age of one, where he grew up. He started performing music early, and got his artist name because he was unusually active on stage, and his friends thought he was jumping around as a sparrow. He became an important person for the musicians in Trinidad as he struggled to improve their conditions. and as part of that, he orchestrated a series of boycotts of calypso competitions. In the 50's, the calypso became popular in the UK for a while, and Mighty Sparrow had some success there. He also tried to succeed in the US, but it was more difficult. Over the decades, however, he achieved an increasing international success, and from the mid-80s he lived in New York half of the year. He's still alive, lives in New York, and has some occasional appearances. During his career he has won a large number of titles, Calypso King, King of Kings etc. (competitions and titles seem to be a popular thing in the calypso world). The number of LPs he has released is immense, at least 60-70. A living legend.

A cold, dark winter day, an album like this is the right medicine. The home becomes a beach in the Caribbean, I want to stay home from work and sunbathe, my wife demands all inclusive and stops cooking, and the kids refuse to leave the hotel because they just want to be by the pool. We have to go to the ocean, I say, and they answer in unison NO! So the album creates a nice, pleasant atmosphere. It's energetic and happy music, no depressive ballads about death. In my ears, which are quite inexperienced with calypso, everything sounds pretty much the same. But that's wow it usually is with musical styles you are not so familiar with. When I hear the songs, I think that life in the Caribbean must be wonderful, they sound so happy and carefree, no worries. No heavy winter months. I know this is not often the case in reality, and that life is / has been quite hard in many of these countries, maybe in the moments of musical creation that is left behind, what do I know. If you want a record with happy and energetic tones, filtered through Caribbean sand, then this could be something.


Tracklist

Side A
1. Medley: Miss Mary / Jane / Royal Jail / Benwood Dick / Sa Sa Yea / Congo Man

Side B
1. May May
2. Bag O 'Sugar
3. Elayne Harry & Mama