Anslem, Ronnie light up Under the Trees

The show entitled Soca Under the Trees, which was held at The Normandie St Ann’s, saw Douglas deliver Too Sweet in a most enticing way that put mischievous smiles on the faces of some of the women in the audience, before raising the tempo to sing his Grammy Award-winning song that found favour with the mainly international audience.

Douglas continued with a powerful delivery of his 1997 remake of the Growling Tiger classic, When Ah Dead Bury Meh Clothes which he renamed stickfight, and had some patrons on their feet. He closed with his 1993 hit, Ragga Poom Poom, making way for soca powerhouse and two-times winner of Soca Monarch, Ronnie McIntosh.

The high-energy performer rushed to the stage front: “We have 6,000 songs to sing , bring the first one,” then launched into Biting Insects, followed by Happy, before rising to fever pitch with How it go Look. He paused to poke fun at Douglas stating when he, McIntosh, was in Massive Chandileer, his band “lick” every band that Douglas was a part of, including Fireflight, Atlantik and Four Horizons. “But it was a love back then,” claimed McIntosh while the audience laughed.

McIntosh, backed by D’ Experience Band, got more movements from the crowd to his 1995 monarch title song, On The Road ,before closing with his other titled song Ent.

The band comprised a number of former musicians from Blue Ventures, with which McIntosh performed for years. Those musicians included vocalist Tony Wilson and horn men Bert Marcellin and Gary Gervais, while leader Bobby Quan sat in the audience.

The Valentine’s night show compelling people to fall in love with soca all over again, included a special appearance by Kenny J, who delighted with a fantastic delivery of Frankie Valli’s My Eyes Adored You. He continued with his own Addicted to Soca and Stuck on You from the pen of Lionel Richie. Then to just rhythms, had patrons singing along to a medley of past calypso hits –Jean and Dinah, Melda, Drunk and Disorderly, Lizard, He Lick She and Somebody– followed by Bob Marley’s Is This Love and John Legend’s All of Me, done reggae style, and closed singing Discount a cappella style.

Earlier Impulse (Wayne Modest) opened the show with songs and jokes more suited to a different audience but received polite applause for his efforts.