Maestro Greatest Hitz

Review

There was a brief moment in the 70s when soca reached a peak of perfection, with tight horn charts, clever arrangements, great lyrics, and that driving, high-ringing iron beating sweet in the rhythm section. This awesome collection of hits by calypsonian Maestro captures that era with 14 marvellous tracks. Some are highly produced studio performances, like the charming Bionic Man, in which our hero’s greatest boast after being reinvented as half-man, half-machine is that “No woman would dare tell me ah foolin’.” Others, like Mr Trinidadian, are brilliant political commentaries captured live in the tent. This CD makes a strong case for Maestro as a vastly under-appreciated treasure. It may also induce serious nostalgia for those great, early soca tunes that are starting to sound almost as primeval as the Trinidadian string bands of the 1920s. [MG – Caribbean Beat]