'JUST like El Dorado I searched everywhere,
Not realising my treasure is right here,
Like a sparking diamond that caught my eye,
You are like Kaieteur Falls that droppeth from the sky,
My GT Woman...'
FROM the memories of Amadou Diallo on the streets of New York to the upcoming wonder of 'GT Woman', one Guyanese musician is on a mission to let his homefolk take pride in their own land and women.
For some, feelings of lost patriotism come flooding back with 'Arrowhead, I love my Golden Arrowhead' but Courtney A. Noel's next single, 'GT Woman' - "a tribute to Guyanese women" - tips the hat in favour of Guyana's beauties of "all races and mixes".
A "rare" find in the world, Courtney describes his country as renowned for its "fauna, flora and ladies."
In an interview with Sunday Chronicle, the singer said he intends to soon finish compiling 'GT Woman' and wants to create a video on it that portrays various local women's organisations such as Red Thread and Mothers in Black, alongside famous Guyanese women from the past and present.
The song is being recorded at Jerusalem Studio in Georgetown.
Courtney offers his preview:
"GT Woman come hold me,
GT Woman control me,
GT Woman you make me feel so fine,
GT Woman come tek meh,
GT Woman don't wreck me,
GT Woman for you there is no price..."
Courtney's other new release - 'Blackout 03' that tells of "New York turning black" should be ready for its launch in the Big Apple later this month.
"I was packing candles in my suitcase to bring back with me to Guyana when the blackout started in (New York) and it completely shut the place down," he remembered.
"People (there) were woefully unprepared for that. So, I had to take out my candles... and went into Guyana mode."
Courtney said he anticipates having 'Blackout 03' released as a single - "a teaser" - before putting it alongside his other songs on CD.
His latest 'Mashramani' single, not yet released, is being kept a "secret" to prevent it from becoming exposed too early before the commencement of the 2004 'Mash' celebrations. Courtney hinted that this new song would be a "celebration of Guyana" that carries a similar theme as the 'Arrowhead' single.
He plans to enter his new 'Mash' single in the 2004 Road March song competition, plus shoot a video of it using scenes from all across Guyana.
Arrowhead was among the most popular songs during Mash 2001.
Last year, Courtney launched 'El Dorado' at Caribana Festival in Canada. The song was written while he and other Calypsonians were on tour at Omai Gold Mines in the Essequibo, two weeks after Mash celebrations. In the boat, Omai's Norman McLean was joking that Calypsonians needed to write a song about their visit to the Gold Mines, and as laughter resonated from ear to ear, Courtney was inspired to create 'El Dorado.'
El Dorado was intended to rouse Guyanese to remember and reclaim 'El Dorado' and live its motto. It was recorded at Kross Color studios in the city with help from Birch Simon and Joel Chan.
With El Dorado, Courtney wanted to complete his 'trilogy' of Guyanese songs. He had already bagged 'Arrowhead, I love my Golden Arrowhead' and the nationalistic, 'One People, One Nation, One Destiny.'
Generally, Courtney brings to the ever-changing music scene a unique blend of musical styles which results in a heady brew of hip-hop, pop, funk, reggae, soca and cross-culture poly-rhythms.
In 1979, Noel graduated from St. Stanislaus College, moved to Queen's College and then migrated to the United States the same year. He lived in Brooklyn and attended Brooklyn College, where he studied International Relations by day and concentrated on his love of music by night.
He credits singers like Stevie Wonder, Terrence Trent D'Arby, Michael Jackson, Nona Hendrix, Gil Scott Heron, Linton Kwesi Johnson, Kitaro, Ruben Blades, Baaba Maal and the late Bob Marley for having influenced his music and style.
Living in the U.S, Courtney was motivated to do a compact-disc recording about the death of a 22-year-old West African street vendor, Amadou Diallo.
Diallo was gunned down by New York City police officers.
Four plainclothes officers from the Street Crime Unit were, as a result, put on trial in Albany facing charges they murdered Diallo after firing 41 shots and hitting him 19 times. The officers said they thought Diallo, who was unarmed, was pulling a gun on them.
Protests about Diallo's death appeared in song. Black singers, rappers and calypso artists had recorded music based on the shooting.
Courtney did his, 'Amadou, Look What They've Done to You.' The song was released as the officers took to the witness stand to testify about what happened the night of February 4, 1999, when Diallo was killed.
"I couldn't believe it when I heard it on the news,
Thought I'd gotten used to stories so bizarre,
But this time they've gone too far,
Forty-one times fingers on the trigger,
Wouldn't have even made sense if Amadou was bigger,
Amadou look what they've done to you
Amadou they shot you through and through..."
Courtney promises "a lot of surprises" in his upcoming releases, locally.
He said Guyana is his "home for now" as he considers a shift from New York, where he has lived for the past 22 years.