Performers shine at Reggae Praise

Praise and worship brought the curtains down on Reggae Wednesdays, the Jamaica Reggae Industry Association’s signature Reggae Month event at its new home, the Festival Village in downtown Kingston, on Ash Wednesday.

Despite a less-than-spectacular turnout to Reggae Praise, the performers used their platform to deliver what was promised and this included powerful messages in song carried through traditional beats and lyrics, as well as the new-age reggae and dancehall-inspired rhythms, even as the singers paid tribute to veteran gospel artistes.

Early performer Chantal Smalling, the second-place winner of last year’s Gospel Star Competition, a production of the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission, was composed and made a statement with Did You Stop to Pray This Morning and injected some Sandra Brooks vibe on the classic gospel song, The Answer. Sherlon Russell, 2019 Digicel Rising Stars winner, delivered an inspiring suite of songs which included I f it’s not you, Stronger, Amazing Grace and He’s A God of the Hills and Valley.

Nickette Morgan-Williams asked for “a season of favour” over the country and individuals and declared in song that wherever she goes she will praise the Lord.

At times the Festival Village was flipped into a hall of dance, with bodies gyrating to the insistent dancehall rhythms coupled with simulated shots and gun talk, as they praised God “loud and proud”. But, these shots were all aimed at the devil himself, and as singjay Orville Sutherland declared to his super-charged up fans, the Mac 11 gun that he sings about so gloriously in his song of the same name, is the Holy Bible.

“Weh di warfare crazy people dem weh go dung pon dem knees any hour a night? Whe di one pop people dem deh! Weh di bazooka people dem deh! Buss mi Bible like a gun ... As a Christian yuh haffi well dangerous!” a no-nonsense Sutherland shouted at the height of his performance.

During his set, Sutherland, the 2021 Male Gospel Artiste of the Year and also the winner of EP of the Year from the Sterling Gospel Music Awards, honoured gospel veteran, Papa San by singing God and I, a song from San’s catalogue.

Jai Kingston took over centrestage with “Dem belly full but they’re starving have a lot an’ still wanting/Jah without you we’re empty fill us up with your mercy,” the opening verse of Garnett Silk’s Fill Us Up, before solidly whipping the devil, which had the fans into a spiritual frenzy, even as he shouted “Somebody scream!” He then calmed by offering up the reassuring Double for Your Trouble.

Closing act, the ever fresh Lubert Levy, the patriarch of the singing group, Levy’s Heritage, has mastered the art of gospel performance and knows exactly when to go hard and when to slow down the tempo. His opening statement was taken from Toots and the Maytals classic 54-46 That’s My Number, and although it falls in the realm of secular, somehow Levy spinned it into the spiritual.

“I was called for this purpose to share and I give God thanks for it. I sang some of the favourite songs plus a couple new songs,” Levy, who was not accompanied by his children, shared in a post-performance interview.

He explained their absence. “The family is taking its time coming from under my wings. If they see that I am weak, they come and give me some strength. I have two background vocalists, but it seemed like they didn’t remember the songs, so they realised that and came around and gave me some strength. Mi love dem and dem know mi love dem,” Levy said.

Emcee for Reggae Praise was Nadine Blair.

yasmine.peru@gleanerjm.com