Master Stick Fighter of New York

Personnel: Nick Robbins, Joe Foster (synthesizer).
Liner Note Author: Michael Dexter Ward.
Arranger: Rupert Grant.
Despite being one of the best-known calypso singers, there's surprisingly little of Lord Invader's music available in the digital age. Master Stick Fighter of New York is a collection of recordings made in the late '40s and early '50s as Lord Invader traveled between Trinidad and New York dealing with his plagiarism suit regarding his song "Rum and Coca Cola" (which, curiously, does not appear here despite being his biggest hit). It's all prime calypso, some with jazzy bands backing him up, some with more traditional percussion-only backing. Throughout it all, Lord Invader mixes social commentary and humor in the inimitable calypso style. It's all good stuff, but the exact same material is contained on the Smithsonian Folkways release Calypso in New York. In fact, Calypso in New York has another nine tracks in addition to what Master Stick Fighter of New York contains, giving it the edge as far as Lord Invader compilations go. ~ Sean Westergaard