Alaine proclaims peace for St James

WESTERN BUREAU:

Songstress Alaine, the main act at Sunday’s staging of the St James Municipal Corporation’s annual Christmas tree-lighting ceremony and concert, spoke hope for the holiday period and the upcoming new year in between soulful renditions of her hit tunes Born to Win, Rise, and If I Love You Like I Love Me.

“The year 2020 is going to be our best year, and I declare peace and prosperity because whatever you speak with your mouth, you will see with your eyes. So let us speak blessings with our mouths and say goodbye to all your troubles and fears,” Alaine told the gathered audience before leading out in a rendition of her song Boast in the Lord.

Hundreds of residents crowded into Sam Sharpe Square in downtown Montego Bay on Sunday evening to rock to Christmas and gospel rhythms. The evening’s event was held under the theme ‘Jesus is Love’.

Montego Bay-based entertainer Mackie Conscious, who was also part of the musical line-up, voiced his own hope for reduced crime in St James, which has under a state of public emergency since 2018.

“No more crime in Montego Bay, agreed? Because we want everyone to be alive for 2020, and for 2020, we’re celebrating life,” Mackie Conscious appealed to the crowd in between delivering his songs Leave the Guns Alone, I’m Alive, and Follow Your Dreams, Believe in Yourself.

Both artistes made their appeals following Montego Bay Mayor Homer Davis’ switching on of the lights for the city’s Christmas tree, strategically placed above Sam Sharpe Square’s local fountain.

Other artistes who presented their lyrical talents for the show included 2019’s Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC) Gospel Festival winner Joanna Walker, who gave renditions of Silent Night, Feliz Navidad, and her own song, Taste and See, and past JCDC gospel children’s finalist Anique Morris, who wowed with Oh Holy Night and Joy to the World.