By Mel Cooke, Freelance Writer
Pam Hall gets down to business at 'Words and Music' Heineken Startime's 15th anniversary kick-off party, at Mas Camp, Oxford Road, on Saturday night. - Michael Sloley /Freelance Photographer
WESTERN BUREAU:
IT MAY have been a case of production setting the pace for some performers at the Mas Camp, Oxford Road, New Kingston, on Saturday night, with a show-stopping Nicky OJ and show-closing Frankie Paul being the exquisite exceptions.
'Words and Music', the first of five shows in the series' 15th year, got off to an uncharacteristically late start, Don Topping introducing Lloyd Parkes and We The People Band some 40 minutes after the scheduled 9:00 p.m.
Similarly, Pam Hall and Tavares, performing back-to-back after the intermission, did not hit the ground running, while Ken Boothe chose to make a gradual entry and seemed a bit hoarse towards the end of his stint on-stage. However, just as it was for the entire concert, when they got going, they went full blast.
By the time Frankie Paul had wrenched out the last 'aw!' at 2:00 a.m., it was an apparently satiated large Startime audience which crowded the exit.
Tony Tuff, the night's opening performer, hardly got going and wasted a distinctive voice and valuable time complaining about being given only 15 minutes and trying to induce a sing-a-long competition.
When the crowd reacted to Penny For Your Thoughts after they had done about seven songs, one of the singers in the United States R&B trio Tavares, remarked: "If we had known that Jamaica was waiting for our ballads, we would have sung them first! I see you know this song!"
The crowd also knew Killing Me Softly, done with thumps on the microphone replacing the tracks to which they performed most of the rest of the material. The harmony of Guiding Star, a snippet of which was done a capella, hit the sweet spot, with a similar treatment of Give Respect to the Other Man getting near the mark as well.
RAPTURE
However, it was Words and Music, the title song of the concert, which sent the audience into rapture, as they lapped up an extended version of the classic. However, an ill-advised encore was enforced and although the audience rocked to the uptempo More Than A Woman and Heaven Must Be Missing An Angel, a Rastafarian from the audience seemed to be reflecting the general sentiment by ushering them off-stage during an interminable goodbye.
It was this same gentleman, clad in brown, who mounted the stairs some way into Pam Hall's performance to whisper in her ear, Ms. Hall amplifying that he was "mad bout me shape" and with good reason too. She turned the compliment into a dance invitation and, along with another gentleman and her back-up singers, got a rock and roll twist party going on-stage.
The audience was not really roused, however, until her next song, Perfidia, which Ms. Hall gave a siren style 'pull up'.
Ken Boothe warmed up with two numbers, allowing the microphone to remain on the stand while he leaned his elegantly-clad figure into it and sang his heart out. He stepped up the tempo a bit for Everything I Own, the microphone coming off the stand and the twirls coming out, and soon the jacket was off and legs were 'dropping' on-stage and off to Silver Words, Artibella, Puppet On A String and Train Is Coming, among other hits.
Nicky OJ may well be named Nicky, with an 'Order of Joy' to go along with it. He managed to smile, soar and split as he imitated Tiger in the 'Reggae Philharmonic' segment; just may Never Grow Old with the energy he displayed as he swung to the beat; did a couple of breakdance moves; did Michael Jackson's twitter and Bruce Springsteen's growl, as well as Cindy Lauper's walk and soaring 'well, well, well' to wrap up a stellar showing with We Are The World.
The very best of 'Words and Music' was saved for the very last. Frankie Paul was in perfect sync with Lloyd Parks and We The People, hitting his first awesome 'aw!' from off-stage almost the instant the rhythm began. It was no ease up, as he was escorted to a spot on the stage and did not stray physically or musically as he hit hit after hit. Cassanova, I Know The Score, Slow Down, Alicia, with a touch of Half-Pint's Greetings and the famous introduction to Supercat's Under Pressure, to which he sang easy FP yu a de don ripped Mas Camp apart.
Tidal Wave caused Worries In De Dance and, with ecstasy being the order of the morning, FP passed over the Kushum-peng to hit a musical high.
He dared to leave, even as some of the Startime audience started to filter out, but when he was demanded back for an encore an enthusiastic throng gave the response as he asked : "So who Mas Camp, tell me who a run tings?" "A yu Missa FP a you a run tings!" they responded.
