Arrow Heats Up the Music Machine

“Come on, everybody, let’s lose some weight,” Arrow shouted, setting the tone for his local debut on Friday at the Music Machine. The Montserrat native’s soca sound (a contraction of soul calypso ) often blends calypso’s political thrust with Caribbean dance music. But Arrow--whose “Hot, Hot, Hot” was both a 1983 dance hit for him and a pop hit for Buster Poindexter a few years later--kept to the party-hearty side during a 90-minute set that began impressively but faltered near the end.

The edgy, energetic singer pushed the tempos so high that they almost became too fast for comfortable dancing. Arrow (ne Alphonsus Cassell) also worked in Jamaican deejay elements and tasteful, Santana-style lead guitar to complement the intricate melodies of a two-piece horn section that really earned its money. A blazing version of “O La Soca” brought the performance to a mid-set peak, but Arrow lost momentum during the introductions of his tight, seven-piece band and only recaptured it during the inevitable “Hot, Hot, Hot” finale.