MoBay artistes energise Jerk Fest

Western Bureau

Energised by the delicious jerk food, the thousands of patrons who descended on the Catherine Hall Entertainment Centre in Montego Bay last Thursday for the 10th edition of the city’s Jerk and Food Festival, also got their fill in rich musical excitement.

From Grammy nominee Jah Cure - who came in the aftermath of a powerful gospel segment, through to surprise closing act Rygin King, who sandwiched the brilliant Teejay and the red-hot man of the moment Daddy One, it was all joy as there was as much energy in the crowd as on the stage.

Daddy One got treated like royalty when he hit centre stage against a backdrop of deafening screams.

He didn’t disappoint as he sent the decibel level in the venue soaring, especially when he belted out “if you nah seh 6ix no gal nah waa yu,” and the girls went crazy.

With the screaming fans in full throttle, Daddy One further excited them with his swag as he reeled off Custom and Out Here, among other songs from his growing catalogue.

Teejay basically came, saw and conquered. He was in command all the way, and when he said “inna mi owna lane”, those words became larger than life as he implored all and sundry to put in the work in their daily endeavours if they want success.

Rygin King, who was not billed for the show, but decided to surprise the fans, saw what was supposed to be a cameo turn into almost a full set, as the crowd kept shouting ‘one king, one king,’ evoking memories of his 2018 Reggae Sumfest performance. When he introduced the song Tuff, the piercing screams filled the venue.

Jah Cure, arguably Montego Bay’s most successful recording artiste, did not spark the dancing and screaming frenzy ignited by the dancehall acts, but he left no doubt that he is a global superstar with the material to touch lives in special ways. From start to finish, he had the crowd singing along like a well-rehearsed choir.

His classy delivery of songs such as Unconditional Love, You Will Never Find and Life We Live should remain as cherished memories for many fans.

The secular segment also featured pleasing performances by female singjay Jada Kingdom and the Anchovy Dancers, with Japanese dancer Nami Chrissie teaming up with them to unleash brilliant moves to popular dancehall hits.

The gospel segment also had many bright sparks, as the comedic duo of Ity and Fancy Cat, who served as emcees, not only had the fans in stitches with their jokes, but also found ways to inject themselves into the various performances.

Emerging gospel singer Crystal Reid set a lovely early pace with her rich vocals, paving the way for seasoned performer Joan Flemming, who was on top of her game, especially with songs like All Christian People, and a church version of the reggae classic Bam Bam.

Jabez was his usual self, once again showing that Christians could rock the stage, as he was quite strong in delivering A Nuh One Prayer, Drinking From A Saucer and Cancelled.