Changes in the nature of what we refer to as our “popular music” of the day are part and parcel of the form. Time and again we see alterations taking place; sometimes substantial ones result in various recriminations from various voices, as is currently the case, with some voices vehemently describing current popular music trends as “not music”, or “garbage”. Perceptions will vary widely on these matters – I have expressed mixed feelings about them – and a column in the past week’s Stabroek News by Indranie Deodat, on the subject of a calypso written by the legendary Mighty Spoiler, served to trigger one of them, which is that while there is certainly room for differences of opinion in the music discussion, regardless of what position one takes regarding our popular music, I would argue that the decline in popularity of the calypso art form – and decline there has been – is truly a loss to the Caribbean.
