By Mel Cooke, Freelance WriterWESTERN BUREAU:
IF 'ROCK AWAY' had gone the way of the temperature at the naturally beautiful Norbrook Mountain, St. Andrew, on Saturday night it would have been a very chilly affair.
As it was, the sometimes log fire warm vocals - along with unabashed good humour - of Jack Radics, the toasty horn lines of the Soul Vendors, the sporadic sparks of Jahmel, the consistent crackle of Mikey General and the electrifying energy and heart-warming honesty of Luciano kept the cold, if not totally at bay, then at least tolerable.
In the breaks, the Mighty Skyy disco kept many of the tightly knit bunch which turned up for the party doing warm-up dances with disco and soca selections.
The unplugged and inexcusably unannounced A2K four-man aggregation had the unenviable task of lighting the first spark at 11:00 p.m., two hours after the slated start. With good harmony and a single guitar they went the social commentary route in their two-song showing, the first illustrating how Everyone is crying for peace and the second speaking to envy and the need for unity, querying Why you wanna hate on your sisters/Why you wanna hate on your brothers?.
An impressive roster of names was reeled out as The Soul Vendors, full horn ensemble, violinist and all, stepped up to the stage. The music was befitting the line-up full, mature, played with not only proficiency but also feeling. With the hornsmen doing solos in the early going, they played rhythms which have been embedded in Jamaican music history and lasted as far apart as Willie Williams' Armageddon and Coco Tea's She Loves Me Now.
Ann-Marie Walker kept it uncomplicated on the vocals for Dreamland and there was a chuckle when the band 'pulled up' after a false start to I Wanna Give You Love. A male vocalist replaced her to sing about De gunman dem, a song which also got the rewind treatment.
However, as good as the music of The Soul Vendors was, the gaps between selections as they conferred, however briefly, interrupted the flow of the music. In addition to their solo set, they provided the music for Jack Radics and Jahmel.
Jahmel opened with advice to Wipe the tears from your eyes, dropping in Marley's Forever Loving Jah. Glory, in praise of HIM, followed, then advocation of repatriation with the lyrics Africa for Africans at home and abroad/Zion I is I home. The ladies appreciated Love Is For Two and he closed on a prayerful note.
Details on other performances during the week.
