BY TIMMAY
The top ten songs have been chosen and the eight artists are ready to perform on May 6th at the 2016 Bahamas Junkanoo Carnival Music Masters Finale Concert. This new wave of Bahamian talent will open for major names like the Visage Band, DMac, Destra and Wyclef Jean.
Ebony is one of the newcomers to the competition, and her “Block Da Road” is very catchy. Her performances are very static – she usually dances in one spot or doesn’t stray too far. Her ace is that you never know which color her hair is going to be and she stays true to her roots with a junkanoo costume or outfit each time.
Chances of winning: Low
Jive, which consists of two young ladies from the College of the Bahamas, have two songs in the competition, and their chance of finishing in the top three are very strong. They were the first performers at the semi-finals in Grand Bahama, and their energy set the pace for the whole weekend.
Chances of winning: High
Fanshawn not only has one of the best songs in the entire competition, but she had arguably the best overall performance of any Music Master at the Semi-Finals. If she repeats what she did in Freeport here Nassau (with a slightly better outfit) she runs away with the crown.
Chances of winning: High
Lady E came in second last year, and she used that as motivation to come back even stronger this year. She has two songs in the top ten, and she didn’t wait on Carnival to start promotion for this track. She was a sure bet in my eyes to actually win this year, if Jive and Fanshawn didn’t slide their way into the competition.
Chances of winning: Medium
Avvy may be the only artist in this competition that all generations of Bahamians may recognise, and his track is one of the more catchy ones in the competition. With his flair for the dramatics and colorful outfits, he is sure to be a crowd pleaser on the main stage. I also respect Avvy for having Carnival in INAGUA of all places on May 28th, an island that only has flights twice a week. Off the strength of that alone, I like Avvy’s chances in the competition.
Chance of winning: Medium
This self proclaimed lyricist, Terrelle Tynes-Wilson, was in her glory at the semi-finals, performing for her fellow Grand Bahamians. She seemed annoyed that this song made the top ten, and not “Carnival Is Hiring”, which is a much better song and clearly her favorite. Leading up to the semis, she talked up this song and hard mentioned “Rake & Scrape Soca Junkie.” If she barely likes her song, what will the crowd think of it.
Chances of winning: Low
This is Jive‘s second song in the top ten and my overall favorite song in the competition, quite the achievement for the young duo. If both of their songs place in the top two, they are looking at splitting almost $30,000 dollars. That’s a lot of cash for two young ladies who just recently decided to venture into the realm of entertainment. The only thing that is stopping this song from winning, in my opinion, is Fanshawn out performing them. They certainly do not lack competition, even though they are the youngest in the top ten.
Chances of winning: High
This is Lady E‘s second song in the top ten, and just like her first, is a strong entry. If this was last year, I could see her getting both songs in the top two. It still may happen – even though Jive and Fanshawn have youth, energy and possibly the better song advantage, Lady E has years of veteran savvy that can and just might tip the scales.
Chances of winning: Medium
A lot of people think that Lady E should have won over Sammi Starr last year, but I actually think Colyn Mcdonald should have won over both of them. His song this year is not as good as the two he had in the top ten last year, but he said that he just likes to make music for the people. If he happens to win in the process, thats a bonus. I still do not know how he made the top ten this year, but I guess the veteran savvy was too much. It helps that he is a member of the amazing band that backs up the Music Masters – The Spank Band.
Chances of winning: Low
Lastly, the reigning champion Sammi Starr is back for the second time around, with a better song than last year. He won last year so he probably understands the criteria better than everyone else, so as much as we may like the energy and vibe of Lady E, Fanshawn and Jive, nobody would be surprised if he was able to repeat.
Chances of winning: Medium