Tanya Batson-Savage, Freelance Writer

Singer Dianna King in performance at Wurdz 'n' Rydimz show, held at the Hilton Kingston hotel, New Kingston, on Sunday. - Winston Sill/Freelance Photographer

Between the impressive vocal stylings of Diana King and a peppery 'War of the Wurdz', the second staging of Wurdz 'n' Rydimz proved an entertaining night where music, dance and poetry came together in happy unison on the 18th floor in The Talk of the Town at the Hilton Kingston hotel, New Kingston.

The evening was hosted by Jerry Benzwick with DJ Afifa doing selector duties. It was heavier on the poetic than musical contributions but generally offered a very wide range of performances.

With dim lighting and scented candles on the white tablecloth, the room was transformed into the traditional impression of a poetry club. So with the right mood in place it was up to the musicians and poets to deliver the talent and to varying degrees they did.

The evening featured guest poets as well as an open-mic segment that ranged from the impressive to the mind-boggling. The 'L' and 'S' of the group LSX were the first of the poets to put their rhymes to test. Performing to tracks, Sage and Lynch performed a round of poems that dealt with a range of issues, from sex to poetry.

In a short but well-spiced set, Saffron delivered short witty pieces of poetry that delighted. She began with the short and sharp 'Miss Quita', moved through 'Fruit Picker II', then 'Shifted Down' to 'Caribbean, Rocked to Sleep' and finally came to a climax with 'Soft Flesh.'

Poetry and dance combined with the performance of Yashika whose first piece was accompanied by her own sinewy walk to the stage followed by dancer Simone Harris who flowed to the rhythm of Yashika's words.

High point

One of the high points of the evening came with the War of the Wurdz contest which featured five contestants who vied with poetry surrounding the word 'pepper'. In all cases, the heat of the pepper was translated to sexual passion yet it was the words from Payne and Que who blazed in the audience's favour.

In the end, the audience, who are the judges for the competition, decided that Que's words had overheated the competition and so she was declared the winner.

Along with an energetic guest performance by Diana King, musical performances included the contribution of Mijanne on violin accompanied by Ouida Lewis on drums. The two delivered impressive renditions of Redemption Song and Teen Spirit. The latter was particularly impressive, especially due to the violin's approximation of Kurt Cobain's legendary angst.

The next staging of Wurdz and Rydimz comes on November 28.