Our top 9 soca songs for Trinidad Carnival 2011... as of now!

Kees Dieffenthaller & KES the Band.
Photo: Andrea De Silva

So it's Carnival time in Trinidad & Tobago... and with MEP headquarted in the suburbs of Port of Spain, Trinidad, we're in the thick of it. We've also got a pretty diverse staff, so we did a little internal survey to see what the most popular soca tunes for Carnival 2011 were among our small but eclectic staff (nine Trinis, two Trini-Brits, and one South African/Aussie new to T&T via Antigua).

These were the results, in order of "votes":

1. Wotless – KES the Band 
2. TIE:  
• Ah Coming Again – Machel Montano HD
• Consider it Done – Fay Ann Lyons & Asylum
• Tong [Town] Ting – Cassie 
• Wine to the Side – Benjai
3. TIE:  
• Dance & Dingolay – Denise Belfon
• Hold a Burn – Dance Bunji Garlin & Asylum 
• Trini – Benjai
4. TIE:   
• Go Dong – Lil Rick featuring Machel Montano HD
  
• Middle of de Road – Destra Garcia & Swappi

Here are the official videos for the songs as of right now – do let us know if there are any we haven't seen yet!







And since I'm the soca junkie doing this post (heh heh), I'm going to take the liberty and post my other favourites for the season that didn't make the MEP top picks list (in alphabetical order):

• Carnival Jumbie – Blaxx
• Cool it Down – Destra Garcia
• Come to Meh – Iwer George

• 

  Machel Montano HD at his AC Concert.
  Photo: Keown Thomas

  Duracell Plus – Skinny Fabulous featuring Machel Montano
• Feel Like Wukkin – Destra Garcia 
• Flirt – Farmer Nappy
• Get Away – KMC
• Get Wild – Ricardo Drue
• Good Time – Kerwin Du Bois, Blaxx & Roy Cape
• Hold a Burn – Bunji Garlin
• I Am/Run De Riddim – 3canal (rapso, but more groovy dan power, ent?)
• Lighters – Nadia Batson & Tallpree
• Me Alone – Bunji Garlin
• Motorbike – Shal Marshall

• 

  Rapso band 3canal. Photo: Jeffrey Chock

  Over Me – 3canal
• Proppah – Destra Garcia
• Ramajay – Lyrikal
• Soak It – Buffy
• Speaker Boxx – Super Jigga TC
• Tantie Woi – Blaxx
• We Not Leavin – Nadia Batson & Patrice Roberts
• Welcome Back – Destra Garcia

Would love to hear your top picks, in case there are any I haven't heard yet or should revisit! And who do you think will win Soca Monarch??

Have a safe & wonderful Carnival season, folks!

Related articles

• It's Carnival, But This Isn't Rio (time.com)
• Caribbean Carnival Season: Let's Party! (time.com)

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