With Jamaica Carnival fresh in our minds, check out the National Weekly’s top 5 soca songs that will make you want to jump around.
Machel Montano – “Like ah Boss”
“Look, trouble now!” barks Machel Montano as the snare drum gets smashed to pieces. This blistering, jazzy, ragtime stonker, produced by New York Trini Deputy from Jay-Z’s Roc Nation, shows why Montano is the reigning prince of soca. The song won this year’s overall Soca Monarch title.
Destra Garcia – “Lucy”
On “Lucy,” the Queen of Bacchanal croons on this chugging bass tune about her journey from growing up as a “real good girl, always home,” to the grown woman who “wines on top of a speaker box.” And these are far from shame-ridden confessions; they are straight up boasts.
Kes – “Million”
With his long dreads and boyish good looks, Kes Dieffenthaler is the poster boy of soca. Two of his many 2015 tracks demonstrate this versatility. “Million” is a jump-around track occupying the middle ground between power soca and groovy soca.
Chucky – “Doh Take it on”
“Once you have alcohol and plenty gyal,” Chucky claims, you’ll feel your stresses ebbing away. It’s a daft track with a cheeky calypso-beat sped up to satisfy the soca hordes on boat cruises, at beach parties and cooler fetes.
Kerwin DuBois and Ravi B – “Overdoing It“
In 2014, Kerwin Du Bois erupted unto the music scene with his single “Too Real” which won him the Soca Monarch crown. This year, Kerwin didn’t enter the competition to retain the title but he did pen a song with Ravi B, a big soca chutney star. “Overdoing It” bubbles under without ever really taking off, making it a tune for when the party is winding down.
