Soundway Records

Before they were an unstoppable force of soca in the 80s Carnival landscape known as Charlie’s Roots, Sensational Roots delved deep into the soul of Trinidad music. Pelham Goddard, who had cut his teeth as a keyboardist in Art De Coteau’s band, emerged in 1977 as an arranger in his own right in Roots.

The term zest had started making rounds in musical circles to describe the infusions of a new kind of energy that differentiated it from the old calypso sound, so Calypso Zest asserts a new funk heavy groove founded on the familiar guitar lick found in calypso. Fast forward a couple of years and the re-christened Charlie’s Roots recorded a deadly cover version of Stevie Wonder’s Pastime Paradise, bringing some soca funk swagger and creating a dance floor assured classic.