Customer Reviews

Klassic Kitchener, Vol. 1

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This Kitchener compilation is a gem with all the obvious reasons why Kitchener's musical compositions were always favored at Carnival by steel pan orchestras. Pannists trained on Calypso, Jazz and Tchaikovsky always choose Kitch! He seems the only composer who consistently makes songs that lend themselves to the complex arrangements of an orchestra. This is the most sophisticated side of Calypso music, but the lyrics are as loaded with innuendo and social critique as ever.

This is a marvelous album, not only are the songs fantastic but you see all the elements that made early calypso what it is as it emerged as an international art form. Take the 1st track "when a man is poor" and track 9 "if you're brown" both are scathing attacks on poverty and subtle classism respectivley, that was rampant at the time and fortunately is less prevalent (although still existent today), what is also typical of these songs and the genre of that early era was the use of established jazz idioms and popular music the two songs' melodies could easily be waltzes! "cricket champions" shows the improvisory roots where claypsonians would often have impromptu battles at cricket matches, creating lyrics and melodies on the fly with only a banjo and drums as back up! The rest of the songs are equally enjoyable "trouble in arima", "old lady walk a mile and half" like most of Kitch's songs lend themselves easily to steel band arrangments and orchestral manipulation. A cheeky, classic showing his beautiful, classy and tasteful use of double entendre (something lacking in many of today calypsonians)is found in "Doctor Kitch" The other songs e.g "Nora" have equal value and are also great for just dancing.

All in all this is fantastic album on all fronts, as a window into to the past showing Kitch's genius, the evolution of the art form and the early influences that forged calypso into what it is today and as a great way to wine the waist and dance.

Enjoy!!

The 'Good Lord' Kitchener is letting us have it. The least we can do is enjoy a musical feast, such as this. Sit back. Kick off your shoes. Grab a chilly one. And prepare to be thoroughly entertained.

After many years of traveling the Carribean, from St. Lucia, to Trinidad and on to Haiti, the music joins your soul. Lord Kitchener is the classic Calypsonian. His songs have inspired the mighty Harry Belafonte an we the perapatetic tourists. Long may he sing the story of the Carribean people!