Della Manley, who had the launch of her second album, Barbican Square on Thursday. - FILE
BARBICAN SQUARE, or at least the part of it captured by Della Manley, got an elevated view from the roof of the Petroleum Corporation of Jamaica (PCJ) building, New Kingston, on Thursday evening.
And those gathered for the official public presentation of the singer, songwriter and guitarist's second album got a first look at the video for I Know, the combination with poet Mutabaruka, as well as an up close and personal performance of a few songs from the album, done with the Firehouse band featuring Earl 'Chinna' Smith on guitar.
MUSIACL HISTORY
In addition, they got an insight into Della's history in music from Wykeham McNeill, the guest speaker for the very brief for-malities. And he was hardly formal at all, recalling going to Montego Bay, St. James, with her future husband Joseph to meet her and eventually sharing a flat with the then newlyweds in Cuba. "It was Cuba, it was the 70s, it was the 80s, we were in it, we were radical, it was the time of our youth and I see this coming out in the music, I see the social consciousness," he said.
"She has the most haunting of voices. Not only that, it is the lyrics. When you listen to the lyrics you know that this is what has come out through the years," McNeill said, reading a verse from the album's title track.
And when Della strapped on her black guitar, looking oversized on her small frame, after McNeill restrained himself vocally as she invited him on a trip to the Cuba days with House of the Rising Sun, she started the few songs from the album she performed with Bar-bican Square. There was applause after she ended with the refrain "I can't read the news".
She thanked all for turning out for the album launch before going "so close" on the next song, at one point most of the music going, leaving her gentle but memorable voice to carry the lyrics unaccompanied. Come Undone went on the lovers side of matters.
Mutabaruka was sitting in the audience and stayed there, in line of sight with Della, to contribute his deep tones to I Know, coming in after she sang 'say a prayer'. He smiled when the song was finished and she also smiled and said thanks.
The launch of Barbican Square came to an uptempo end with Della singing "yes I'm up/I'm down/I'm wandering around/The same old town" before concluding Some-times You Win, Chinna Smith doing extended guitar work as members of Gumption looked at him to end.
