227: Roots Rock Soca, by Black Stalin

Black Stalin (Trinidad & Tobago)
Roots Rock Soca (1991)
11 tracks, 59 minutes
iTunes

If nothing else, you have to at least admire the balls of someone who chooses their professional performing name as Black Stalin. I never worked out why he chose that name. And, okay, maybe the name contributed a little bit for me selecting him for this list. It was definitely a big part of what urged me to listen to his music in the first place. I mean, what sort of music does someone called Black Stalin even make?!

Well, as you can tell from the name of this compilation, it’s soca, that poppier, funkier version of the classic calypso style. But Black Stalin (still feels weird to call him that, but w/e) puts his own spin on things that makes it extra special. Roots Rock Soca isn’t available on streaming services, but as it’s essentially a ‘best of,’ you can get the same gist by falling into a YouTube hole. I’d suggest starting with this song, ‘Burn Dem’:

It’s my favourite of his, and I reckon it’s a good round-up of his sound. It’s soca that is unashamed of its roots in calypso, it’s got Cuban-style horns, it’s got a reggae feel, and even rhythms that bring to mind styles from across the Caribbean and South America – what else could you want from a song to get you up dancing? And that’s how the rest of his music goes too, with more or less accent on each of those styles, and sometimes bringing in other sounds such as New Orleans piano or a South African tinge in the bass.

Although a little less so than calypso, soca is still very much focussed on the lyricism of its singers, and in that, Black Stalin also has his own way of approaching things. Unlike most soca singers and calypsonians, he is a Rasta, which influences his use of lyrics. While he doesn’t often dwell on especially religious aspects (although he does shout-out Jah quite a bit), it does lead to his lyrics often emphasising deeper political themes of black liberation, pan-Caribbeanism and pan-Africanism

For such a well-regarded musician with nuanced political thoughts conveyed in a thoughtful but entertaining manner, how bizarre to go by a name invoking the legacy of one of history’s biggest bastards. But if you can get over that, Black Stalin’s music is an ideal party music – a wonderful (and only slightly cheesy) mix of the Caribbean’s most infectious grooves.