Adrian Frater, News Editor
Tony Rebel in full form at the Bob Marley Bash held at MXIII Lawn, in Negril, on Ash Wednesday - Adrian Frater
Western Bureau-
Reggae music, of the roots/rock vintage, ruled supreme at the MXIII Lawn, in Negril, on Ash Wednesday as Queen Ifrica, Luciano, Tony Rebel and new sensation Iyah Blazz all stood tall in making the 16th renewal of the annual 'Bob Marley Bash' a smashing success.
In fact, in terms of the overall quality, the show was a resounding success as the Tamlins, Gyptian and Mickey General also made powerful statements and are also deserving of much kudos for the impact they created and generous applaud and screams they elicited.
Queen Ifrika, who got one of the night's two encores, was at her awesome best, displaying much maturity and stage-craft as she masterfully blended uncompromising lyrics with thought-provoking social commentary, which kept the audience in musical ecstasy as she flowed skilfully from one song to the next.
It was all joy as Queen Ifrika reeled off songs like,
Nah Rub,
When Love Come Knocking,
Talk Too Much,
Baby and the anti-incest anthem,
Daddy, which had the audience singing along like a well rehearsed choir. Her encore, for which she delivered the song,
Randy, was imminent from mid-way her performance.
Luciano, who got the night's second encore, was clearly in his element as he sang, danced and did backward and forward somersaults as he delivered hits such as,
Give Praise,
Messenger,
Yesterday,
Sweep Over My Soul, and
Hills and Valley with his three sons dancing in the background.
The encore, which the audience demanded and got from Luciano, resulted in almost a full set as he went into overdrive, belting out,
Africa, Old Man River, It's Me Again Jah, and
Lord Give Me Strength before he was joined on stage by the other artistes to close the show with Bob Marley's world anthem,
One Love.
Tony Rebel, who has been releasing a spate of new songs within recent months, demonstrated that his ability to deejay his way into the hearts of the fans remains solidly intact. In fact, in reeling off, songs such as,
Caa Go Round Good,
Sweet Jamaica,
Chatty Chatty,
Just Friends,
Fresh Vegetable and
Know Jah, he sounded as crisp as a compact disc.
As he has been doing at recent shows, House of Leeds recording artiste Iyah Blazz was in sparkling form, eliciting wild cheers for songs such as,
No Heart Fi Di Poor,
Jah Know,
Rasta Fi Clean and
Saturday Night at the Movies, which he did in combination with the quartet Soul 4 Soul.
Although playing short sets, the Tamlins and Gyptian were entertaining, displaying much class, composure and confidence. The Tamlins were at their best on songs such as,
Go Away Dream,
Ting-a-Ling and
Baltimore; while Gyptian was unstoppable with,
Controversy,
Mama Don't Cry, and
Beautiful Lady.
Mickey General, who played one of his longer sets, left no doubt that he has the requisite skills to take on 'reggaedom' single-handedly. As he rolled smoothly and efficiently through songs such as,
Seh a Prayer,
Unseen Blessings, and
Miss Taylor Boy.
Prior to star-time, acts such as Dutty Gold, Anthony Able and Princess Tia all did themselves justice, playing fairly decent sets. However, the artiste who really caught the eye in that segment was Sensi Love, the daughter of reggae legend Bunny Wailer, who is based in the United States.
While she only sang three songs, Sensi Love left no doubt that another gifted offspring from the internationally acclaimed Wailers clan is poised to take on the world musically.
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