By Eddie J. Grant, ContributorTORONTO:
THE ANNUAL Caribbean Gospel Music Festival, held at Revivaltime Tabernacle Church in Tortonto, Canada, recently, featuring Carlene Davis and Stitchie from Jamaica, and Sherwin Gardner from Trinidad, was another huge success.
The duo Sons of Thunder - twin brothers from Grenada; the Campbell Sisters, nominees in the gospel segment of the Canadian reggae Music Award held in March; Michelle Link; Jassette Haughton; Heart to Heart; Judith Gayle; Ucal Rowe and a host of other homegrown gospel entertainers also performed.
MASS APPEAL
Davis, a former resident of and regular visitor to Toronto, was the first of the international artistes to perform. During her days as a secular performer Davis drew large audiences; now singing for the Lord, her mass appeal has increased, as many of those fans have themselves turned to Christianity.
At the start of her one-hour performance, Davis' opener Holy Holy had the more than 500 fans rocking. With a distinctive reggae beat and a strong bassline, it was sometimes difficult to tell if it was a gospel or reggae concert.
The crowd was also treated to songs taken from Davis' current CD, The Author and Finisher. She also did a medley of some of her popular songs, such as It's A New Day, Stand Up and Tell Me If You Love The Lord and Fire Fire.
Appearing on the same bill was Stitchie, who ruled the dancehalls for several years and has a large number of followers in Canada.
INTENSITY
One of his songs, Gospel Reggae, showed the intensity of a performance that was reminiscent of his dancehall days. The crowd loved every minute of it.
Give Thanks, a song that has a strong ska beat, was also popular with the packed crowd that continued to dance and wave during his 90 minutes on stage.
Sherwin Gardner was also well received as he sang a mixture of calypso and gospel, which the audience thoroughly enjoyed.
