The soca, a type of upbeat dance music native to Trinidad and Tobago, is often confused with calypso, or a as a combination of soul and calypso. While the soca was developed as a form of calypso, it stands on its own as a unique genre of world music today.
The Father of Soca
Trinidad native Garfield Blackman, more commonly referred to as "Lord Shorty", is widely acknowledged as the creator of soca. His 1973 hit "Indrani" is the usually thought of as the first soca in a time when reggae was slowly overtaking calypso in terms of popularity.
Eager to reinvent the genre, Lord Shorty combined elements of the calypso with Indian instruments like the tabla, resulting in an energetic and exciting new style.
The word "soca" is a combination of "soul" and "calypso", not because soca is a fusion of the two, but because Lord Shorty referred to soca as "the soul of calypso music."
The Development of Soca
While soca lyrics initially followed calypso and reggae by way of social commentary, the tunes became increasingly sexual in nature. As soca grew to be more associated with Trinidad's Carnival, the songs became more risque, with thinly veiled references to sexual acts and alcohol, among other things.
This new direction for soca was not embraced by Lord Shorty, who moved on to create a new style of gospel and soca, called jamoo. Lord Kitchener (Aldwyn Roberts), an already accomplished calypsonian, is most credited with advancing soca to the genre it is today.
Soca music is primarily for dancing, and the lyrics often encourage "wining" and "grinding". The soca is characterized by the driving rhythm section. A typical soca band includes drums, bass, guitar, synthesizer, horns, and steel drums.
International Soca Hits
The most famous internationally known socas today are "Hot Hot Hot" by Arrow (1982) and "Who Let the Dogs Out" as recorded by The Baha Men in 1998. Other well-known hits include "Sweet Soca Music" by Sugar Daddy, "Raggamuffin" by Square One, and "Turn Me On" by Kevin Lyttle.
Even with these hits, soca remains to have an enormous impact on internationally popular music today. However, many artists continue to work at pushing the genre into the global spotlight.
Soca Music In the 21st Century
The soca is the primary style of music heard during Carnival in Trinidad, and is the basis for the steel band arrangements played during the Panorama Steel Band Competition.
One of the most prolific soca composers and musicians today is Machel Montano, a Trinidad native whose band Xtatik is one of the most popular soca bands in the world. Other famous soca artists include Superblue, Shadow, and Alison Hinds, who is referred to as "the Queen of Soca."
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