In typically grand fashion Adrian Dutchin reclaimed the Carib Soca Monarch crown, putting on an over-the-top show that eclipsed the competition early yesterday morning at the National Park.
It looked as if it would have been a close contest between Dutchin and the defending champion, Marlon ‘Malo’ Webster, but the night belonged to the two-time king as the judges gave the nod to his “No Place Like Home,” and he picked up his third title in the last four years. In the biggest surprise of the night, Malo failed to clinch a place in the top three, despite a near perfect performance of his song “Celebrate,” which received overwhelming support from the crowd. Instead, two other crowd-pleasers, Wilbur ‘Lil Man’ Levans and Onikha Joseph, were voted first and second runner-up, respectively, when results were announced shortly before 2 am.
After being declared winner, Dutchin took the stage to give an encore performance for his fans, while angry Malo supporters, stunned by the outcome, marched out of the National Park compound. To be sure, although there were twelve finalists vying for the title, the night had seen several lacklustre performances and it seemed almost certain that the showdown between obvious crowd favourites Dutchin and Malo would decide the winner and second-place. They both seemed equally deserving of the title, but the judges didn’t see it that way.
On a night that was not short of theatrics, Dutchin still managed to fake out the crowd, which was told that he would no longer be performing since he was overseas. Although clearly part of Dutchin’s act, the announcement confused some people in the crowd.
The uncertainty was short-lived, however, as it was then announced that he had just touched down at the CJIA and was on his way. With the suspense building, Dutchin leaped out onto the stage, luggage in tow, to the roaring approval of the crowd and he launched into a signature high-energy performance. The diminutive Dutchin, decked out in a suit bearing the colours of the Guyana flag, led a group of dancers in a carefully choreographed display that celebrated being ‘one hundred percent Guyanese.’ “There are two kinds of people,” he told the crowd during one of several interludes in his performance, “Guyanese people and people who want to be Guyanese!” He played an extensive set, which was capped off when he mounted the roof of the stage, from where he closed off the performance while accompanied by the Park Side Steel Band. Dutchin’s display bordered at times on the grandiose, and testing the patience of the audience. But coming in wake of a number of poor performances by some of the other finalists as it did, it was arguably an early exclamation mark on the night’s competition.
Not to be outdone, Malo, who wrested the crown from Dutchin at last year’s competition, used a cable to slide from the eastern stand to the stage, where he immediately launched into his song as he landed. He was flanked by his own dancers and flag bearers on stilts. Above, on the roof of the stage, two men put on a mini-fireworks display, while confetti decorated the air.
The only hitch occurred during the release of a bundle of balloons into the crowd. On the whole, it did not match the spectacle that Dutchin put on, but Malo delivered a relentlessly exuberant performance that walked the fine line between showman and musician. He certainly had the crowd, if not the judges. “Somebody say, ‘I love you Malo,'” he told the crowd at the end of his performance. “I love you Malo,” replied a chorus of voices.
This year’s finals kicked off to a high energy start with Clifton “Passion” Adolphus’ “Coming Alone,” which sent revellers into a frenzy. But the waving flags and rags were soon drooping after a series of uninspiring if not completely forgettable sets by the likes of Trinidad-based Edmond ‘E-Jo’ Joseph (“We Naked”), Barbara ‘Lady B’ Nedd (“Try Soca”), and Lucretia ‘Shady’ Oudkerk (“Stop The Carnage”). On the other hand Roger Bowen (“In de Air”), Yannick ‘Nick Knock’ Wade (“Wet Inside de Fete”) and even last year’s Road March winner Melissa ‘Vanilla’ Roberts (“Breaking Down the Walls”) tried valiantly but in vain to win over an indifferent audience.
It was former In Search of a Star winner Onikha Joseph, with her song “Keep Death Off the Road,” who eventually emerged as the unlikely sensation among the first group of performers. In what was perhaps the most unusual of the many elaborate entrances staged by the finalists, Joseph’s performance began with the broadcast of a death announcement, followed by the arrival of a hearse, transporting a coffin that was taken on stage, where a scene all too familiar was acted out – a jarring reminder of the dangers on the roadways. The sight of the coffin was enough to stir the crowd to attention, although a few people thought it was inappropriate. Neverthe-less, Joseph put on a livewire display that sent the audience wild.
Although following Joseph would have been daunting for most performers, twice runner-up ‘Lil Man’ entered the finals with enough momentum to position him as a serious threat to the two man fight for the crown. His was a fiery entrance, which seemed appropriate for his song, “Fiah Man.” ‘Lil Man,’ who is a fireman by profession, rode at the back of a land cruiser surrounded by firemen, who shot flames into the air from aerosol cans. He wore a red fireman’s costume. After climbing a ladder on to the stage, along with a bevy of dancing girls he lit up the stage with a display that left no doubt about his stature on the soca scene as a legitimate contender for the crown.
As winner of this year’s competition, Dutchin will receive a $750,000 cash prize, while ‘Lil Man’ and Onikha Joseph will receive $400,000 and $200,000 for second and third place.
