Summer is just around the corner, marking the start of the festival seasons for various islands in the Caribbean and here in North America. First up is Washington DC’s carnival as well as St. Vincent’s. St. Vincent’s music has been steady releasing over the past couple weeks. Bomani of the band, HS Phaktor, has a nice tune called, “Sweetness.” It’s the typical Bomani we are accustomed to hearing from previous tracks such as, “Booty Call,” “All I Need,” and “Wet.” As I’ve reported some weeks ago, Bomani fell and suffered a broken jaw, but he is said to be recovering well. Maddzart’s music is a bit of a disappointment compared to previous years. Perhaps it’s still early, but I would have like to have heard some stronger songs from him this year.

Jamesy P is doing well with his release of “Whoopsing.” It sounds a lot like last year’s song, “Push It.” Not a bad track, but it doesn’t grab me like some of his other music. What I do like is his new track, “Leave Me Alone.” Fireman Hooper of the Roses Crew has a hot track called, “Wukey Wukey.” A nice up-tempo song, though I presume I may only hear this track in certain fetes that focus on soca music from outside of Trinidad. Nevertheless, I love the track. Skinny Fabulous has released numerous songs for the season, including one with Bunji Garlin. The ragga-soca track, “Send Dem Come,” shows the typical fast tongues of the two, but with little imagination. I would have expected better.

Barbados music has been releasing on a daily basis. Krosfyah released three tracks from their new upcoming CD, “Everblazing.” The tracks show the versatility of the band featuring one each by members, Edwin Yearwood, Khiomal, and Tony Bailey. Edwin’s track is probably his best up-tempo song since, “Road Jam.” Titled, “We Ready To Go,” I expect this song to do well on the road. It’s still undetermined if he will compete in this year’s Party Monarch, but it would certainly make for some stiff competition. Khiomal’s track, “No Wallflowers,” is a nice track produced by Chris Allman of Slam City Studios. “Wallflowers,” is another word for a person who stands up in a fete (typically “holding” up the wall.) The song encourages ladies to come out and dance. Tony Bailey’s new track, “Sinking Sand,” is a groovy track on a conscious level. Very nicely produced, and one of the better tracks I’ve heard for the season. There are new releases from the band yet to come, one of which I’ve heard is a strong road march contender. I look forward to the new CD next month.

Also out of Barbados, is the band Electrik. The band’s lead singers include Mikey, a previous road march winner, Keisha Christian, and Omar McQuilkin. Omar is receiving a lot of airplay with his track, “My Boo,” featuring reggae artiste, Hawkeye, Mikey has released several tracks and is also receiving favorable reviews. Electrik is still a young band, but I expect to see this band a lot more in the near future. It’s been a while since we’ve heard about Bajan bands outside of Square One (now Square Roots) and Krosfyah. Electrik is looking to change that.

Grenada has also been releasing tunes. My favorite, so far, would be Papa Jerry’s new track, “Selassie.” It’s a bit reminiscent of his track a few years ago called, “Police.” Also listen out for the new Sateurs Riddim which has been receiving good airplay. Grenadian music isn’t always played throughout the year, but hopefully the distribution will work its way out. To sample and listen to many of the above listed tracks, log onto http://islandmix.com or http://toronto-lime.com. Both websites are constantly updating their sites with new music.

This Saturday is Water World at the Bayside Hut in Key Biscayne. It features soca DJ’s Eternal Vibes, Sound Rev, and Dorenzo. For more info, log onto http://partyspree.com. Hopefully I can make it there. The weather’s been hot, and the water guns sound like a lot of fun. Have a fun and safe weekend. Until next week…