Your best rum songs are going to be more authentic riddim from the islands. Compare and contrast the J.Buffet’s drunk st. Nick to the one in Rondy ‘Luta’ McIntosh’s “Rum Santa.” That’s 3rd-stage party-fool dancing. Look at what I can do!
Shawn ‘Da Ma$tamind’ Noel rides the rhythm into “What is Christmas Without Rum?” Chortling, whooping, chanting… 4th stage.
Hangovers get quieter. Throwback riddim from Lord Beginner glimpses the big band beginnings of riddim: cool calypso! “Christmas Morning the Rum Had Me Yawning” recalls plantation slave songs for me, so yeah.
Party foolishness springs out of “Horner Rum” by Mere. Parang is the Trinidad brand of riddim. Sorry to lump ’em all together.
Sprangalang growls through more parang “Bring Drinks.” But i can just make out the request to bring rum for Christmas. Probably some of the other days as well.
“Drink a Rum” best encapsulates the abandon of this spirit. The Merrymen make a boy band bit out of the debauchery while still keeping their roots Trinidadian. Lord Kitchener gets more primal here with sloppy vocals and cheap instrumentation. Check out the electronica of the ’60s!