The first time I discovered calypso music was purely coincidental. I had picked up a hand full of albums in a record shop that were going for about a fiver each and Growling Tigers "Knockdown Calypsos" was amongst them. It was love at first listen; everything felt right about it from the philosophical nature of the lyrics to the strange untypical rhythms and musical timings. I can't really compare calypso to anything as it is as unique as any other genre but it seems to be influenced by Latin American music to a certain degree. Lyrcically, I find calypso to be not dissimilar to folk music in it's choice of themes: it is music about everyday life. It comes from Trinidad and Tobago and is sung in english with a broad Caribean accent that adds so much colour to the music. Many of the great artists (often named "Lord" somebody or other) were pre-nineteensixty so sound quality of the recordings are not always as dynamic as they could be, but this album by one of my favourite minor calypso singers, Growling Tiger, is a relatively modern recording (1979), and it is basically a reworking of many of the songs he had previously recorded. Calypso is honest, sincere and beautiful music and a million miles away from the common misinterpretation that it is only steel-drummed party music. I hope you love it as much as me. Enjoy.
