By Adrian Frater, Staff Reporter
Beres Hammond and Marcia Griffiths combining on stage for one of their hits. - Adrian Frater Photo
WESTERN BUREAU:
POTENT ROOTS music ruled supreme at the Llandilo Cultural Centre in Westmoreland on Saturday night at the 'sweet sixteen' staging of Western Consciousness.
It was a night dominated by fabulous performances, which lifted patrons into a state of musical ecstasy.
Depending on one's bias either the velvet smooth Beres Hammond, the devastating Buju Banton, the charismatic Luciano or the awesome Black Uhuru could have been chosen as the outstanding act. A leaning towards the songbird Marcia Griffiths and Taurus Riley would also not be far-fetched.
For the fans of Ritchie Spice and Chuck Fender, there were more than good reasons to be a bit disappointed as with daybreak rapidly approaching, they were forced to cut short their performances at the insistence of the police, who refused to allow any further grace period after 5:15 a.m.
As he has been doing for most of the past decade, Beres Hammond had the patrons, especially the ladies, totally under his lyrical spell. Hitting centre stage at 3:04 a.m., the soulful crooner, clad in his trademark black cap, glistening white shirt and flashy jeans pants, immediately created an impact.
He sent the fans into a bout of screaming as he delved into the song, Step Aside. It was like a rising tide among the patrons as songs such as, One Dance, She Loves Me Now, Double Trouble and Let Gonna Talk, all drew deafening screams as the ladies reacted with glee.
FEVER PITCH
The excitement subsequently reached fever pitch when Marcia Griffiths, who had performed earlier, returned to add a special sparkle to Beres' brilliant set as they combined with stunning effect on a few songs.
In her set, the durable Griffiths, who was later presented with an award from the promoters for her 40-years service to the development of Jamaica's music, was in her usually mellow mood.
In a performance in which she connected with the audience, she was exceptional on songs such as, Dreamland, I Shall Sing and Fire Burning.
Black Uhuru, with Michael Rose back as lead singer along with Duckie Simpson and the sexy Kay Starr (filling in for the now deceased Puma Jones), blended perfectly on harmonies. It was vintage 'Uhuru' on a pleasurable trip down memory lane.
It was a dancing frenzy backstage and in front of the stage as fellow artistes, members of the press and fans reacted positively to Black Uhuru classics such as Stalk a Sensemilla.
While doing Emotional Slaughter, a seemingly bemused Duckie, who sang the lead on this song, took a swipe at Rita Marley as he commented on recent reports quoting her as saying she was raped by her husband Bob Marley.
Buju Banton, whose performance was highlighted by his dazzling combinations with Beres, seemed quite bitter as he lashed out against society's double standard and his recent ganja conviction. Musically, he was as potent as ever as be blazed through songs such as, Mr. Nine, Destiny, Wanna Be Loved, with great authority.
In the songs he did in combination with Beres, Buju proved a more than average singer as he switched to singing while Beres complemented with the deejay segment. Buju ended his set with a medley of old hits, which included the potent, Murderer. It was quite clear that he had made his mark.
Luciano, nattily attired in ship captain style, performed a short but refreshing set. Dancing and prancing around the stage, he was in superb form on songs such as Messenger and Ulterior Motive. At one point during his performance, he leapt from the stage, mingled briefly with the fans and then returned to close his set with the audience as his choir.
Taurus Riley, who sang with Lavaska, is definitely a star in the making. Of the other acts, To Isis was quite good, Aaron Silk delivered a tidy set and sounded like a man on a mission while Natty King and the Westmoreland trio of Major Tan, Bomblast and Singing Honour all worked well received sets.
