David Rudder Albums (11)
'The Autobiography of the Now'
Release Date 2/26/2001
Tracks 11
Label Jw Productions
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Historically, the calypso/soca tradition David Rudder draws on was known in Trinidad as "the people's newspaper." He's always used his songs to chronicle and comment on events affecting his life, and Trinidad as a whole, so The Autobiography of the Now really could be the title of any of his discs. The opening "Séance (The Circle Is Unbroken)" is a continuation of the last song from his 2000 release, Zero, with different lyrics, so he's pretty serious about the continuity of his songwriting. The best songs here are about Trinidad -- the vigorous rhythms and great chorus hook on "The Power of the Song" pay tribute to the legendary Lord Kitchener and "I'd Rather Be in Trinidad" is a pure home-culture celebration. "Bigger Pimpin'" criticizes rapper Jay-Z for coming to Trinidad and copping the musical feel, the latest Yankee invader in a line dating back to "Rum & Coca-Cola" in the '40s. Rudder drops into patois there, but "Requiem for Miss D" aims for metaphors that are too abstract to make sense to anyone outside of Trinidad. Rudder can get too mawkishly sentimental or too sloganeering for his own good with cloying, grandiose arrangements to match. It happens on "Jerusalem," a plea for brotherhood in the holy land that sounds inspired less by first-hand traveling than channel-surfing via CNN. Surprisingly, it affects "Havana," too -- even though the music gets a chance to shift between soca and Cuban clave, the lyrics are surprisingly trite for a country so close to Rudder's Caribbean home base. But he taps into fundamental human outrage with "Forty-One Bullets," a look at the New York City shooting death of Amadou Diallo, even down to citing Woody Guthrie. Rudder is such a consistent craftsmen and sharp-eyed observer ("My little brothers are wearing their anger/Just like the latest designer gear") that there's always something of value in his discs. But this chapter of his Autobiography of the Now won't rank among the finest. ~ Don Snowden, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
International Chantuelle features ten songs performed by Caribbean music artist David Rudder, who writes the majority of this album's songs as well as produces and arranges them. The veteran music artist from Trinidad writes primarily fun music. "Shango Electric," "Limbo Break," and "Adrenalin City" are three of his more free-spirited songs here. Rudder is joined on International Chantuelle by arrangers Wayne Bruno and Pelham Goddard as well as bassist Albert Bushe Jr., guitarists Tony Voisin and Wayne Bruno, drummer Barry Howard, conga player Carlton Brathwaithe, percussionist Tambi Guindi, tabla player Prashant Patassar, background vocalists Kirt Mitchell and Natalie Yorke, and quite a few horn players as well. ~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Calypso historically was viewed as the people's newspaper in Trinidad, and David Rudder, easily soca's most wide-ranging social commentator of the '90s, seems even more focused on that aspect than usual on Beloved. The lyrical themes tackle social issues specific to Trinidad or more broadly Caribbean, even as the music is more measured and less dedicated to breakneck soca celebration. "Banana Death Song" protests U.S. trade policies, while "Montserrat" laments the volcanic eruption that made an entire island uninhabitable; typically, Rudder is more concerned with the effects on the poor, full-year inhabitants rather than the celebrity types who lost their Caribbean hideaway homes. "The Immigrants" is dedicated to Abner Louima, the Haitian immigrant brutalized by New York cops, while calling for the acceptance of new immigrants in the U.S., even as "Destination Desperation" charges that economic opportunities are still limited by Jim Crow changing over to "designer greed." But Rudder didn't totally ignore the music -- far from it; horns are prominent on "Montserrat" and "Down Deh" (the latter also features a bit of distorted rock lead guitar, a first for him) and there's a bit of funkier bass undertow (almost late-'60s Motown) on "Immigrants." "High Mas" uses sharp wordplay in the techno soca style called mas, and the more electronic arrangement of "The Hurricane" also borders on mas territory. The reggae-tinged opener, "The Savagery" (the dub-style reprise, "Savagery II," throws the humorous reference to the movie character Chuckie into sharper relief), uses a "la la la" chorus hook resurrected for the title track, an optimistic statement of faith in community and Trinidad. Beloved may not be a flashy record, but it's an extremely well-crafted one that finds David Rudder stretching his musical boundaries without sacrificing the essence of his style. ~ Don Snowden, All Music Guide
'Tales from a Strange Land'
Release Date 4/16/1996
Tracks 9
Label Rituals
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
It usually smacks of pretentiousness for an artist to label their songs stories, but David Rudder can get away with it. His lyrics are always filled with vivid metaphors that can tilt literate or streetwise and extend beyond the soca/calypso (or any other) tradition norm. Just look at "Behind the Bridge" for a sterling example of his eye for pertinent, descriptive detail and brilliant turns of phrase: "Shaka died of natural causes this morning/In other words, he took five bullets in the tenement yard/They only recognized him because of his favorite Snoop Dogg T-shirt/The little brother didn't just dead, the little brother dead baaaad." That's great writing. He tackles the "Case of the Disappearing Panyards" to lament the loss of the steel drum bands in Trinidad over a nicely lilting groove with steel pan and horns, and blends literary musings on love with a plain and simple chorus on "Crossroads." "Crossing the Bridge (The Madman's Rant)" combines a reggae bassline with atmospheric synthesizer, and Rudder wails over the growing number of Trinidad youth winding up in the island's mortuary. If there's a shortcoming to Tales From a Strange Land (aside from the shortness of the CD -- only eight full-length songs plus a 70-second steel drum epilogue), it's in the music. Rudder has always taken liberties with standard calypso/soca forms -- the fanciful, Trinidad-specific "The Strange Tale of Madame Occohantas and the Westminster Dreadlocks" has a yodeled chorus, of all things. But things are a little too spare here, with a clanking drum machine, minimal bass, and the occasional bluesy sax solo dominating the wisps of melodic color in the arrangements. It's still a minor complaint about another solid effort from a major artist who deserves wider recognition outside the closed-off calypso/soca sphere. ~ Don Snowden, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
A concept album from the king of contemporary soca, it details the international struggle against racism with particular emphasis on South Africa. ~ J. Poet, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
New Day Dawning is a reissue of David Rudder's 1990 album, but neither the new name or the addition of two live tracks that you'd never know were live can mask the fact it was always one of his weakest efforts. His singing is fine, but the lyrics celebrating South African independence fall down in their Pan-African diaspora cheerleading and allow Rudder's sentimental side to dominate too much. The musical arrangements are pretty rudimentary, lacking horns and his customary blending of other styles into the soca base. The upbeat, buoyant "Fire in the Laager" has horns and a reggae-tinged bassline and "Down at the Shebeen" maintains the upbeat, buoyant mood. "Amandla Ngawethu" is straight rap and "Johannesburg Woman" is a nice romantic song with an almost soul bassline, but that's about it for highlights. Calypso and soca were historically regarded as "the people's newspaper," but the lyrics on New Day Dawning sound like they were written from newspaper accounts. The stories simply lack the lived-in flavor that usually makes David Rudder such a compelling artist. ~ Don Snowden, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Lyrics Man is a hard title to argue with, because David Rudder's command of words really separates him from the rest of the Trinidad music pack -- no small feat since soca and calypso are styles that place very high value on tale-spinning ability. He's got the same kind of three-R trinity -- righteousness, rebellion, and romance -- as Bob Marley, another positive soul rebel with social consciousness on a pan-Caribbean (if not global) scale and a keen observer of street-level detail. Rudder is one of a handful of artists who can stand up to that dangerous comparison to Marley -- he's a born songwriter and a master craftsman of choruses and hooks that find fresh variations on soca formulas. "Heaven" is an excellent opener, blending a sax solo and very literate wordplays that move into protest against continuing genocide, like Rwanda, sparked by ignoring past ones. But the underlying tone is philosophical and calls for commitment -- humanitarian and not ideological. "Another Day in Paradise" mixes up the rhythm groove and throws in a bit of Trinidad-adapted rap vocals, while "Ballad of Hulsie X" effectively plays a vocal melody, spiraling down into a bass riff response moving on up. "Wining Season" is a vibrant celebration of carnival season and "Club Hysteria" is one of several Rudder songs celebrating Trinidad club life in full carnival frenzy, with snappy horns over the loping, up-tempo soca beat. Some lyrical references will only make sense to those familiar with Trinidad life, but Rudder's skilled wordplay and the diverse musical contexts he places them in make that a moot point. It's just the local milieu that nurtures and inspires David Rudder and so richly flavors the music on the excellent Lyrics Man. ~ Don Snowden, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
In terms of Road March power, 1988 was Rudder's finest moment, with "Bacchanal Woman" and the superb social commentary, "Panama." The title cut was a remarkable ode to Caribbean unity. Sire reissued this album with cuts from the previous two years under the same title, Haiti. ~ Gene Scaramuzzo, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
David Rudder didn't settle for half measures when it came time for the quasi-obligatory live album. No Restriction: The Concert is a three-CD set recorded in Trinidad with a 16-piece band including six horns, a like number of backing singers, and a choir to boot. But the answer to the key question -- do the live performances surpass the studio versions? -- is pretty inconclusive. No Restriction fairly faithfully follows the typical concert curve -- starting slowly and picking up a substantial head of steam halfway through the first disc before bogging down with some extended solos and audience participation routines you had to be there for. Rudder is in fine voice and the arrangements are predictably first-rate, although the tempos seem a little sluggish. It does showcase early career classics like a strong "Day of the Warlord," and "Song for a Lonely Soul" hits the soca bull's-eye dead center. Snappy horns drive "Heaven" and segue into the reggae-cum-Latin feel of "Another Day in Paradise," and Rudder and company repeat the process to great effect when "Bacchanal Woman" rocks right into the rapped vocals of "Ballad of Hulsie X." "Calypso Music" also hits home as it rides a bed of gospel keyboard chords with flashing horns overhead, and the nearly 11-minute performance doesn't feel overly long at all. But the third CD is largely extraneous, mostly "intimate" versions accompanied only by solo piano or saxophone and filled out with a 15-minute interview that requires some ability to understand Rudder's Creole patois. No Restriction is a solid enough live album but certainly more for dedicated fans than newcomers -- it's not even a temporary teaser/preview for that great best-of compilation Rudder will put out some day. ~ Don Snowden, All Music Guide
