‘We need a new direction’

‘We need a new direction’ | The Trinidad Guardian

On the ground level of the famous Charlie’s Records on Fulton Street in Brooklyn, Rawlston Charles stands in front of just two of the many gold records he has churned out over the years. He is tall, sartorial and as debonair as ever. He concedes that the music industry has changed course, dramatically. But he is also troubled by the today’s music—T&T music, that is. And for one widely considered a legendary figure in calypso and soca music, what he had to say should be listened to… attentively. His tone is mellow but his words are provocative, incisive. “Our music tells us what is happening in our society. There is a beat, but really no melody. Melodies live on…beats change from day to day,” he says. And for one who has produced the likes of Swallow, Shadow, Scrunter, Blue Boy, Explainer, and the list goes on and on, such words are indeed weighty.

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