Tanya Batson-Savage, Freelance Writer
Christopher Martin, Noddy Virtue and Daynea Deacon. - Carlington Wilmot/Freelance Photographer
THE JAMAICA popular music landscape is a unique space and is traditionally quite narrow in the genres in which local artistes can excel. While Jamaicans clearly have a taste for all kinds of music, it is hard for persons performing anything other than reggae or dancehall to survive in the mainstream.
So it was interesting that the top three finalists in the Rising Stars 2005 competition seemed most comfortable with either soul or R&B or both. However, all three also proved that they were able to deliver reggae very well, which may have allowed them to cement their fate in the finals. Indeed, all top three went to great lengths to prove that they were very versatile.
"I think if you're going to make the transition to Jamaican pop culture you're gonna have to do local material," said Clyde McKenzie, one of the three judges of the competition. Anthony Miller, another of the judges, whose acidic tongue has sliced into the dreams of several contestants, agreed, pointing out that Christopher Martin's popularity had soared once he delivered his first medley of reggae songs. Indeed, though he quickly established himself as a good vocalist, with his penchant for oldies, Martin ran the risk of pigeon-holing himself with a non-modern label.
Noddy Virtue's ability to deliver material from Luciano, Jimmy Cliff and Bon Jovi with equal ease highlighted his versatility and, of the three, he would fit into the local music landscape with the most ease. Indeed, with a name like Virtue, it seems that the fates have smiled upon his having a career of 'conscious' music.
WOMEN IN REGGAE
Of the top three, Daynea Deacon may well have the hardest time cutting through the industry. First, she has an entire history of women having a hard time finding longevity in reggae. Even so, this may be the best time yet for her to have arrived on the scene, as many females are cropping up and making fair attempts on the music scene, bouyed by the bubbling cable industry which needs more and more videos to feed its hungry audiences.
Second, it is quite clear that Deacon is more at home singing soul and her voice is perfectly suited for it.
McKenzie noted that Deacon would have made a great contender on American Idol. However, Jamaicans want Jamai-cans singing Jamaican music. So, her performance of Serious Times was pivotal to her making it to the top three as she not only demonstrated versatility, but also showed that she would be comfortable with Jamaican material.
Despite the numerous persons who turned up to the auditions bearing original material, none of the top three used any during the finals. Both Miller and McKenzie dismiss this as being problematic either in the competition or the real world. "People just want a well covered song," Miller said, and all three had executed some excellent coverage.
McKenzie points out that one needs not be a strong songwriter to make it, nor does one need to be doomed to a fate of covering other people's material. While Puff Daddy and Michael Bolton show that covers can be very lucrative, they also show that after a while it gets tiring. However covers can be a great door through which to saunter into the music world, if they are done right.
Additionally, as McKenzie points out, successful singers have made careers using material written by others. He points to the recent popularity of Jah Cure's rendition of True Reflection, which was not written by him. Miller also points to Virtue's ability to make a song his own, so that he would have no problem in performing covers.
Though neither Martin nor Virtue displayed original material, when both spoke to The Sunday Gleaner they revealed that they wanted their first recorded piece to be an original. Virtue plans to record Love Jah Always, while Martin intends to record Dreams.
Talent competitions are every bit a popularity contest and they are inevitably about more than the talent. According to Miller, all three are very "likeable" people. But their personalities are quite different and it may well have impacted on the results of the show.
Deacon has been the picture of style and class throughout the competition, a distinct departure from the weaves and excessive make-up and revealing clothing that most of the other females in the competition turned to. Additionally, though not all her song choices worked out perfectly, she displayed great thought in choosing material that presented the range of her skills. However, as McKenzie points out, her dignity can be misinterpreted as being reservation, which can be a death knell for a would-be diva.
Martin's likeability comes out in his aura of being a good boy next door. With his slim build, he looks like the kind of young boy older women want to take care of and would let their daughters date. He comes across as innocent, sweet and quite likeable. His ability to sing oldies also set him at ease with older audiences and his delivery of contemporary Jamaican music showed that he had much in store for younger audiences.
Where Martin offered a higher-pitched innocence and tended to belt for all he was worth, Virtue provided substance for audiences who like a smoother, deeper more 'Wailer' type voice to latch on to. Surprisingly, as the competition wore on, Virtue unleashed sex appeal.
Of the three, he seemed most likely to fall prey to the shallow nature of entertainment, where looks can count for much. However, the Jamaican context with Yellow Man, Shabba, Bounty Killer and Elephant Man to prove, it has shown that men need not rely on looks. Indeed, Shabba personified the possibilities of the unpretty man and used it to great effect as a part of what made him unique. Virtue's finding purchase with local audiences suggests that the rule still applies, or that Jamaicans are simply not so shallow they pay attention only to looks.
It seems that, at least in Jamaica, video has not yet killed the radio star. The competition has revealed a breadth of talent that has left Jamaicans talking and hoping for more.
