No one can applaud Elvis Abijah Abby for being the best of singers; notwithstanding, Abijah has good tone and good singing pitch, but lacks the ability to hold them consistently during his song. These are some of the basic easy to learn singing mechanics, which will make Abby a very good singer. What is interesting is that all of Abijah’s singing deficiencies can be corrected with proper instruction and practice.
But what Abijah lacks in singing skills he more then make up for in song writing abilities and charisma. Before I take the time to address Abijah’s song Vision, I will give you a little idea of what make a good song and in particular a good calypso.
One must remember that Calypso singing is not an instrumental rendition. However, it is a properly orated composition presented as a vocal discourse in a particular style; that is common within the West Indies (Caribbean) Using, a defined set of rhythm, tempo and melody. It is also important to note that the rhythm, tempo and melody have nothing to do with the accompaniment that is only there to enhance the quality of the presentation.; but should be embedded within the lyrics and the way the lyrics are structured and presented.
Rhythm is a strong, regular, pattern of the song that is repeated or the flow of the song. Tempo is simple the speed of the song, and melody the pattern and the manner in which words are presented: pronounced, stress and or orated in a particular part of the song. It is therefore important that words consistently meets the same favor in each verse. In other words the verses must be alike or very similar in the structure of the song: the uniformity of the verses. This gives the song a unique quality, that should be synonymous with every good song, simplicity.
It matters not the complexity of the subject one is addressing, or the complexity of the accompanying arrangement, a sound should be simple and uniform in its structure. This complex skill is and can be simplified when a person has a large vocabulary, which is obtained by being widely read. Simplicity in structure provides some real benefits. It takes less time to learn by the performers, it lessen the chances of the performer making a error while preforming the song and makes it easy for the audience to remember the song; which is or should be the goal of every song writer, to write a song that everyone can remember and sing or sing along to or with.
Another thing a song writer must look for in a song apart from uniformity of the verses is the connectivity of the verses to the chorus and the simplicity of the chorus. The song must have easy transition from the verses to the Chorus and in like manner from the chorus to the verses. Another thing I must touch on before I move on is the selection of the subject or the vehicle in which the topics are presented to the public. Although a subject is not necessary it can improve a song tremendously. Some popular subjects are, dreams, conversations, arguments and eavesdropping. A subject may pose a barrier to some writer.
A calypso do not need to have subject to be a good song. Many classics are songs without a subject, but a subject may be what is needed to properly convey a message and transform a good song into a better song. On the issue of topics, a writer may have dificulity writing on a particular topic, and that maybe because of a problem with the persons knowledge on the topic. Knowing of a topic and some elements of the topic do not mean you are knowledgeable about the topic or understands or comprehend the topic. The lack of knowledge. is the biggest cause in fragments, jumbled, and poorly constructed song.
Let us qualify this by taking a look at the rap industry. The most used topic in rap music are: drugs, money, sex and crime basically fighting and shooting. Do you know why that is? That is so because the knowledge base of the writers are very limited and the thing that they truly know anything about is the life style they live, which is bases of their composition. In other words their working knowledge or their general understanding and their comprehension about other things is very limited. In other words song writing is not as easy as most none writers will like to believe it is and as most prolific song writers make it out to be.
There is also the storytelling aspect of song writing. The most memorable songs tell a story rather than push popular slogan. While a slogan may have a particular meaning to one generation, a group, or a locality that may lose its popularity, meaning and usage with the passage of time, a story has the ability to stand the test of time. So story telling is always the best approach to song writing.
The Song:
Abijah has always been a prolific songwriter and over the years he has been a stalwart contributor to the art form in the area of Calypso, in St. Vincent and the Grenadines and in the Caribbean. With that said I hereby declare that Abijah can hold his own with any calypso composer in the Caribbean.
In the sound that is called Vision, Abijah have followed all of the rules in song writing as it related to the rhythm, melody, and tempo. His song was simple and followed the rule of simplicity of structure and connective ease between verses and chorus.
Abijah demonstrated that he has an understanding of the art of calypso writing, and he had done a wonderful job in selecting the subject for this song: the practice of Shaker Baptist the penitan or the Converted religion. Abijah also demonstrated that he has a sound knowledge and an understanding of the Shaker Baptist the penitan or the Converted religion and even their old and none existent practice.
The subject on which Abijah choose to build his work of art with, allowed him to deal with any social, political, or other talking point in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, the Caribbean or any part of the world he saw fit and therefore finds a home in this song. Abijah’s choice of Subject and the way he dealt with the subject won him top points for topic selection.
Abby was able to fit a variety of topic into the subject of his song and he was able to do this because he has a good knowledge and a very good understanding of the subject he choose to work with, as well as the topics or the social and other issues he choose to address in the confines of the subject of his song. It was a combination of all of these things along with his writing (composition) ability that afforded him this luxury.
Abijah began this story telling by introducing us to two people: His grandmother Dorothy Abby and a leader of the Shaker Baptist religion Pinter Mercury who are not fictitious but real people, within the Vincentian community. In the introduction Abijah’s grandmother who was concerned for his wellbeing took him to her church to meet her church leader, who recommends a spiritual purging via a system call moaning. It was at this point that AbiJah skillfully introduce an essential and no longer practice aspect of the Shaker Baptist religion, the public beatings that the Pointer often administer upon members (grown men and women) of his church. a public and physical beating (flogging), to those who were discovered in adultery, or who were found to have participated in any other serious sin or any abominable infringement against the bible's teachings. Such beatings were administered with a broad leather belt that is often worn by the Head of the church who is called the Pointer.
Topics. Abijah skillfully address a wide range of current political issues, in his song, without achieving political over kill, or making the sound appear jumble to listeners. His skillful play on words and the everyday sarcastic similes he so skillfully used are too much to mention.
He address a lot of the political concerns of the parliamentary opposition as personal conviction, from the allegation of stolen general election to the recent No Confidence Motion. I partially like the way Abijah introduced and dealt with the issue of the No Confidence Motions. Abijah compared the speaker of the House of Parliament to a magician whose action made the motion of no confidence disappeared baffling everyone including himself as to his magical (incompetence) skill.
Abijah also address what is a real concern in St. Vincent and the Grenadines the governmental corruption and the lack of morality which the ULP government was doing efficient at. That was put on public display with the Yugge Farrell saga. Abijah climax that aspect of his song by smoothly incorporating the words he ge, she ge the dialect for he and she give and then he even see Yu ge.
Abijah would not have been a true calypso-man if he did not address concerns within the calypso art form, if he did not address his and the concerns of the other members calypso paternity and he did. He particular leveled a heap of criticism to Fya Empress on several front, from her composition that addressed a private personal affair within her marriage life, that was made public when The Empress made the affair public by addressing it in a song which saw her making the calypso finals in Trinidad and Tobago in 2017 and earned her the monarch title with in St. Vincent and the Grenadines later that year.
The essence of the Empress’ song, was based on the Empress’ justly or unjustly publicly shamed her husband by accusing him of being caught in homosexuality. In Abijah’s song he bring his side to that saga which he relate as the truth his truth that was received as a rumor, that flip the switch on Fya Empress and declare that the truth was she was found in a compromising position that she accuse her husband of.
All in all, it is my opinion that Elvis Abijah Abby has set the standard for Calypso in the 2018 Carnival Calypso competition, in my opinion Abijah is the man to beat at lease in the first round. I suggest that each calypso lover, no matter where they are from, to take some time and listen to Abijahs Vision and you will see an example of a master piece.
1566.
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