‘Politicians having 'tt' inside dem mouth’-Ting te Talk- Aubrey Forbes
Mr Forbes released his 10-song CD about two weeks ago. While not calypso, his fungi music style, now a Virgin Islands distinct genre, addresses everything from politics to recent layoffs, asking fathers to take care of their children and even speaks about the local dish salt fish and the conditions of island life, although the tempo attacks are often framed through subtle satire.
The veteran artiste has turned the Virgin Islands traditional fungi music into much protest, social and political commentary just the same way other musical greats in the Caribbean such as the Mighty Sparrow, Lord Kitchener, the Black Stalin, David Rudder and The Mighty Gabby, to name a few, have mastered the art of calypso as a form of social and political commentary.
The fungi rhythms in his music are compulsive and incredibly lively for a good dance, once you stop thinking aloud about what Mr Forbes is referring to in his many topical issues facing the Virgin Islands.
“Ting te talk”
What most consider to be the feature song on the album is the number one song on the CD ‘Ting te Talk’. In the skillfully arranged lyrics Mr Forbes touches, in a very sophisticated but musically entertaining way, on current social and political issues affecting the Virgin Islands.
He sang that “too many companies here are downsizing and sending home our people first…ting te talk, then a few months later they go to Labour to get work permits to work for the same companies, Oh Gosh Ting te talk”. He ends each topical line with the phrase “Ting te Talk or Only in the BVI”.
Mr Forbes’ lead vocal is pronounced, however, it is balanced with the traditional and cultured Ukulele and Banjo. In the same song, ‘Ting te Talk, he sang “I am calling on the politicians to put their house in order for there is too much advantage taking of our people”.
He masterfully, and in many cases, leaves the interpretation to the imagination of the listeners on issues of the day. For example, he sang, “…when you call the politicians all of them out on coffee break, who aint having coffee having tea, some having 'tt' inside them mouth…Ting te Talk…when you ask Mr Minister how say you, he watch you full in your face and say, He never had a 'tt' inside he mouth….where there is smoke there is some kind of fire”.
Certainly, one could conclude that our fungi music has arrived as the new form of bold social, political and economical commentary, the role our Calypso had played with its lyrically topical, and frequently sarcastic or mocking on-island happenings in the street or barber shop talk tradition.
While his songs and the instruments range from guitar, bass and percussion and the music messages from encouraging children to say in school with ‘Children Children’ to giving Kudos to the Virgin Islands women with ‘Tola Tola’ and their skills for cooking, dressing, and the new immigrants who come to our shores for a variety of reasons, one cannot help but marvel on what some have described and characterized as scandalous, gossiping and accusatory lyrics.
In one of the songs, 'Satan on da Loose', Mr Forbes sang that “Satan gone in church to mash up a wedding” and he asked his listeners to “read your bible and pray every day”. The renowned fungi singer said “a chapter a day will keep the devil away!”
He ended his beautifully arranged melodies with a tune at number 10 entitled ‘Medley’ featuring Makisha Gordon. In the song, he sang “the bigger the plantain the more she wants”.
Some of the songs are often improvised and humorous with much innuendo - a style of lyricism that teases people in a light-hearted way.
Mr Forbes' songs of fungi music are very festive as it is made for dancing.
When contacted by Virgin Islands News Online, Mr Forbes who is also employed by the Government as a Customs Officer said he had no comments at this time.
The CD was produced by Marcus Mark for YoungBlood Productions and all the songs, words and music were done by Aubrey Forbes aka ‘deh dog himself’.
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105 Responses to “‘Politicians having 'tt' inside dem mouth’-Ting te Talk- Aubrey Forbes”
Can't even spell scholarship. Please, back to your corner......
Dem' fi' ban dat tt tune!.....
Just go in the admin complex or by a Spanish bar some place in hog city pull out your TTs [not sure if he likes the left or the right] and trust me they will get suck as the tt minister will then be revealed.
Lord man, he should'nt ah hit his former son in law so hard>>"he's no kind ah man at all"
Hard work all night with the ukalele pays off TRUST ME!
NONE AH DEM CAN"T WRITE TUNES LIKE HE
children, I love "MYSELF" the best. AnD when I get "MY" belly full, To hell with all the rest.
Love It!