Kadooment band launches- Contact is here!

The music has been out for a while and now Crop-Over is finally getting into full swing with launches of some more bands, including some of Barbados' largest and most popular bands.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="206" caption="Amber - photo credit: contact.bb"][/caption]

Contact launched on Friday with a wicked, wicked launch party and the pics of their 2009 presentation 'Firestones' are already up. Check out some more of our faves from the band when you read on...



[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="216" caption="Black Diamond- photo credit: contact.bb"][/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="206" caption="Pink Diamond- photo credit: contact.bb"][/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="218" caption="Pearl- photo credit: contact.bb"][/caption]

Can we say...  it is presssssuurrrre dey bringing for some of the established bougie folks' bands like Baje and Power X Four! Loving the black diamond section - you don't see too many black costumes in Barbados for some reason and they have done it beautifully. The Amber has a lavishly feathered headpiece and if you read islandista, you know our feather fetish already so that gone clear!

We are somewhat conflicted on the pearl section so we put it up to see what the islandista family think. My question is why brown to depict pearls? Especially when brown tends to look so blah on black people? I just never find that brown pops against our skin. If they were going for pearl, why not go for a full white costume? Not white and silver or white and gold as many do but white on white. It would be blinding on the road in the sun!

Anyhow, while in the past Contact had a reputation as more a middle-aged folks band, in the last 3 years they have been making a serious pitch for the young, bougie market that Px4 and Baje had on lock. They have had mixed results.

They drew a lot of young people last year with both their sexier designs and by pitching that they had not just the usual Krosfyah (who has been with Contact for ages) on the road but Machel Montano who was the real winner of last year's Crop-Over.

Unfortunately for some of those who were swayed by the promise of Machel on the road, it turned out to be just that - he was on the road and wining rather than on the truck singing. Worse, he  skipped out and ended up spending as much time liming and wining over in Baje as he did in Contact. Big rock fuh those who jumped Contact just for Machel.

Moreover, the vibe was still persistently middle-aged and tame, according to some  who jumped the Px4 and Baje ships to jump with them.

But it remains to be seen. A year is a long time in playing mas and Contact is floating rumours once again. The big one this year is that they are going to have Fay-Ann Lyons and Bunji Garlin as well as Krosfyah and Machel Montano on the road. The thought of that combination got a looot of people head just hurting them - is a real dilemma! Every other person we ask is wavering just because of that - all you hearing is "BUT... I hear they gine got Fay-Ann, Bunji, Krosfyah AND Machel on the road!"

But that is the question - will Fay-Ann and Bunji be on the road wining or will they be on the truck on the road singing?