Review of “The Collection"
Ed Silverman
So what is this, anyway? Soca-soul-calypso from the Midwest? Is that possible? You bet. Shangoya is one of the hottest and most original ensembles to emerge from Minneapolis over the past two decades.
Founded by Trinidad native Peter Nelson, the group introduced a whole new sound to many mid-American listeners in the 70s and 80s, a time when the much slower, but equally catchy reggae was already making its mark on the pop music scene.
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This disc gathers some of their best work from that period, including an appearance by Peter Himmelman, who once sang with the group. Although a great deal of soca is now available in cities such as New York, where the large Caribbean community has popularized much newer material in recent years, this is a worthy album for anyone seeking an introduction to one of the liveliest and most listenable forms of music imaginable.
© Dirty Linen, Ltd. All rights reserved. |
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Shangoya Blows Fuse with Hot Tropical Sound
- Rick Mason
If Shangoya's swirling tropical rhythms could somehow be harnessed
like some Grand Coulee or Caribbean dynamism, Minnesota's
winter energy needs would be easily met.
The insatiable calypso and reggae beats of Shangoya's fiery
island music practically overload the circuits as it is, making
it virtually impossible to refrain from joining the ecstatic
dancing hordes that turn up wherever the band plays.
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Familiarity breeds contentment, at least as far as Shangoya
is concerned, because the band has played many locales in
the Twin Cities, and still the faithful pay homage with no
sign of waning enthusiasm. It's the calypso/reggae/
Latin/funk rhythms that prove so intoxicating, and the group
drives them with panache and polish.
Nelson is a charismatic group leader with a distinctive voice
that resembles the tonal qualities of a middle range steel
drum. As Minnesota's Caribbean connection, Shangoya is valuable
simply for warming the cockles (and everything else) in any
weather through its sizzling rhythms.
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Rhythm Rockers Keep the Heat On
Martin Keller
Peter Nelson yells "Fire!" to a passing throng
on St. Paul's Grand Avenue. "Fire! The band's on fire,
Nelson shouts under an approving sun as his group Shangoya
ignites dancers with a frantic calypso number.
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Since its formation, the premier third world music group in
the Upper Midwest has made asphalt buckle and snowbanks dwindle.
Shangoya has instructed and created an entire third world music
scene in the Twin Cities. It's hard to imagine a summer without
their rousing outdoor shows at parks and bandshells around town.
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Shangoya: Afro-Caribbean Music for the Soul - Arnold Stead
Shangoya's is a rich sultry sound. Its blues is thick, shimmering.
Its joy a spiritual kind of togetherness. You could bring the
family.
The music is a mixture. "That's what music is now,"
said Peter Nelson, the leader of the group. If you listen
you will move to their sound.
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Shangoya's sound is a poly rhythmic blend of steel drum, various
percussion, an often driving Fender bass, a King Curtis tinged
saxophone, a bluesey jazz-flavored guitar, and occasionally
a '56 Cadillac wheel hub beaten with wooden sticks by Nelson.
I can hear echoes of Pharaoh Sanders and the late Bob Marley. |
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Folk to Soca, Local Releases Make Fine Music - City Pages
Red Pants Jam. No introduction necessary this time. Shangoya's
long been the premiere exponent of reggae and Trinidad calypso
sounds hereabouts, developing a large and loyal following
on the tundra even before Bob Marley, rastas and dreadlocks
were household words (well, in some households, anyway).
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The island heat generators play to their strong suit on this
LP -- "soca," which is calypso with overt Latin
and subtle funk trappings. The result is happy poly rhythmic
dance music, with none of the Jamaican reggae's overwhelming
bass lines or strident politics.
Peter Nelson's honey-dripping vocals and Robert Coleman's
Augustus Pablo-style melodica instrumental, "Tribute,"
supply the highlights. Not for fans only.
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Shangoya
Martin Keller
Shangoya was the rhythm wonder of the Upper Midwest for years. Its bright reggae and
calypso numbers, reminiscent of boisterous romps through the Caribbean, were never out of season, hot or cold. Leader Peter Nelson is now concentrating on calypso, and his steel pans are blazing like oil drums burning propane most of the night. |
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Shangoya is a vibrant, whirring mixture of island riddim,
a rocker's delight. The calypso barrage makes them singularly
important in the Midwest. It also firmly establishes Nelson's
Trinidadian roots like never before, truly stamping his image
on the band. |
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