One day I borrowed Calypso Awakening from the library. I didn't really think I particularly liked calypso (not that I didn't like it), but I was surprised to find out that, as with all genres, its roots and local recordings are full of energy and conviction. The album is a collection of recordings made by Emory Cook back in the 50s and 60s in Trinidad. The music is fresh; the recordings, while I guess very high-tech for their time, capturing live performances—sometimes on the move in street carnival—actually have that scratchy, earthy, organic sound I love. And it's totally lively and loaded (political correctness does not enter into the equation in these songs, and part of calypso is verbal sparring).
A couple gems: "No, Doctor No" by Mighty Sparrow, the "Yankees Gone" steel band procession, "Come Go, Calcutta" by Lord Melody, "He No Dead Yet" by King Fighter, and "Bongo Man" by Wrangler. And of course "Jean and Dinah," also by Mighty Sparrow. (You can sample the songs on the album's Amazon or Smithsonian page.)
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