Judges blank Cro Cro

SEETA PERSAD

Former calypso monarch Weston “Cro Cro” Rawlins will not get to perform his controversial song Belated at the Dimanche Gras next Sunday as he was left out, to the surprise of many, by the judges on Saturday at the Calypso Fiesta competition in Skinner Park, San Fernando.

Although he was pelted with toilet paper, another former monarch Michael ‘Sugar Aloes’ Osuna made the final cut and joined 14 others into the Calypso Monarch finals against defending champion Hollis “Mighty Chalkdust” Liverpool.

In all, four former monarchs made it to the finals, with another former monarch in Roderick “Chuck” Gordon being the reserve.

Calypso Fiesta this year saw most of the calypsonians offering biting political commentary, many of which were anti-government in nature and lyrics.

Joanne Rowley (Tigress) and Osuna (Sugar Aloes) dominated the second half of Calypso Fiesta but with contrasting calypsoes.

With her song Rowley to Rowley, Tigress bit into the government saying all ministries are failing. She said the Health Ministry was in a bad state and wanted Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley to sign a letter, allowing her to fire Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh.

Tigress did not spare Community Development, Culture and Arts Minister Dr Nyan Dolly Gadsby saying she too needed to be fired as she was not delivering to the people.

Rolls of toilet paper were thrown at the stage when Aloes, a known PNM supporter forsook political commentary, choosing instead to pay tribute to late great calypsonian Aldwyn Roberts (Lord Kitchener).

Former Monarch Sandra Des Vignes-Millington (Singing Sandra) came on stage brandishing a sword as she sang Power in Song, which dealt with criminals roaming the land. “They need a good bush bath and spiritual healing,” she sang. Victoria Cooper-Rahim (Queen Victoria) sang a social commentary entitled, Shattered Home.

Another former monarch, Roderick Gordon (Chuck Gordon) received thunderous applaud for his rendition of ‘Campaign Truck’. Former south monarch Brian London sang his own composition, I Playing Police in which he said parents must now police their children in order to curb school violence.

Kurt Allen, known as The Last Bard John of Calypso sang ‘Circle Square Science’ which was good enough for a place in next Sunday’s final.

In the song, he said all government ministers were like square pegs in round holes as they do not know what they are about. Alana Sinnette-Khan (Lady Watchman) delivered a powerful performance of her social commentary, Dead Beat, in which she spoke of men who do not take care of their families.

Duane O’Connor hit out at the print media and social media for only carrying bad news in his rendition of ‘No Front Page’ while Heather Mac Intosh-Simon sang ‘The Survey’ and Henson Wright (Calypso Prince) asked for Tobago to get a bigger piece of the pie in his song, ‘All I Ask’.

Michael Legerton was the final contestant on the evening with his son, ‘We Could do Better Than That’.