RSSSparrow prides himself on varying his melodies in a genre wherestock tunes prevail. He's kept up rhythmically with more grace thanmost. His voice remains strong, clear, and commanding as he approaches60. But calypso is about lyrics above all, and you don't have tobe from Trinidad to appreciate Sparrow's wild wit, sane politics,eye for the foible, and sophisticated taste in smut. He enunciateshis English so royally that you'll rarely need the lyric sheet.But that doesn't mean you won't want to reread the grade-schoolmemoryDan Is the Man (In the Van) orCongo Man'ssterotype gone mad. And rereading them won't stop you from wantingto listen with your body in motion.
Fast Cuts: Sparrow's somewhat more lightweightVolume TwoandVolume Three are for after you're hooked onVolumeOne.16 Carnival Hits, which he shares with his longtimecarnival rival Lord Kitchener, is stronger. But if you're hooked,you might want to try three even more historical calypso compilations(on Rounder):CalypsoPioneers, which goes all the way back to 1912;CalypsoBreakaway, probably the most classic; andCalypsoCarnival, the longest, weirdest, and most highly recommended.
Playboy, Sept. 1993
 | Aug. 1993 | Oct. 1993 |  |