TASTEE LIMITED is to donate $500,000 in prize money to this year's JCDC's National Popular Song Contest.
This was announced last Friday by Michael Nicholson, co-ordinator of the contest at the Christar Villas Hotel, Liguanea, Kingston.
He said this year would mark the patty company's 18th year of association with the contest.
The overall winner will get $100,000 of the total amount to be sponsored by Tastee.
At the function, a CD comprising edited presentations of the 10 songs chosen to go onto the finals, was presented before an audience comprising sponsors, media representatives, JCDC officials and contest finalists.
There were 222 entries in the National Pop Song Contest this year.
The theme throughout most of the songs was 'peace and love', which one guest felt was fitting as "that's the mood of the country at the moment; everybody wants peace". Other sentiments which came through the lyrics included "building back Jamaica", "De whole a we special", "Get up and do something" and "Jamaica, the pearl of the Caribbean".
The instrumentation for the final songs is outstanding with the backing of Ibo Cooper, keyboard; Glen Browne, bass; Audley Eulitt, bass; Robert Browne, guitar; Derrick Stewart, drums; Arif Cooper, drum programming and Dwight Richards, horns.
In the main, the rhythms are catchy and have hints of mento, ska, rocksteady and dancehall music. However, one song, A Love Jamaica had a distinct sound which was more foreign influenced.
The CD boasts an attractive cover design by Pam Hunt Bloomfield and is well produced by Ibo Cooper. Copies of the CD will be on record shelves as of this week and a promotional video is to be shot in the coming months.
