Mel Cooke, Freelance Writer

Left: Cocoa Tea at 'Island Explosion'.   Right: Shaggy performs at 'Island Explosion'. - Photos by Nathaniel Stewart

Sunday night's Island Explosion at Leiba's Esso station in May Pen, Clarendon, was mostly a hardcore deejay affair, with Beenie Man and Vybz Kartel sending the huge Christmas morning crowd home with a flurry of lyrics.

However, despite Bounty Killer's challenge to Beenie Man, which the audience declined with impatient handclaps, Ninja Man and Spice's treatment of the matter of Angel and Bounty breaking up and her subsequent marriage to Beenie Man, Elephant Man's Inna Yu Nose and Capleton's fiery Top A Tings, Island Explosion did have its softer side.

And a lot of it was provided by Shaggy, as well as Richie Stephens and Cocoa Tea. Shaggy was greeted with screams by the women at 3:30 a.m. and they did a lot of screaming throughout his set, as Shaggy appealed to his core audience repeatedly, opening with his delight in having a 'hot gal' in his bed. A long black rag dangling from a back pocket and black cap at a jaunty angle over a smile, he hailed the 'Bashment Gal' and hit Boombastic on the same rhythm, screams coming as he took off his dark glasses to show merry eyes. It Wasn't Me was delivered on a Sleng Teng rhythm take-off, while Strength of a Woman was delivered in original fashion.

A section of the massive crowd at 'Island Explosion' at Leiba's Esso station in May Pen, Clarendon on Sunday.

Rayvon provided the singing on 'Angel' and Shaggy said "hey" to the "sexy lady" to end, leaving the recently released Church Heathen out of the Christmas morning offering.

Earlier, Richie Stephens declared himself a Winner on the downside of midnight, urging all to "fight back", the huge audience filling in for Garnett Silk. He leaned on the Strength of Your Love, but it was when Stephens went back to his earlier material, including Trying To Get To You, that the audience really warmed to him. Pot of Gold was a fitting introduction to his mother on stage, the pair restarting their latest combination as the audience responded favourably. Mother and son sang their struggles and concluded "Now they're shining like a star, so proud of who they are," before Stephens ended with a line of Take Me Away.

The band was not in sync with Cocoa Tea on She Loves Me Now, even though the audience chuckled to "A lot of girls naa get no loving tonight." On Love Me Truly Cocoa Tea crooned "what this bandsman doing to Cocoa Tea tonight", dropping Bam Bam on the Taxi rhythm.

Band problems or not, his memorable voice and song selection, Tune In followed by the query Tell Me Why The Road Turns and Air Supply's 'Here I Am', rocked the audience before Cocoa Tea finished with Stand up Straight. He was not quite finished with the band complaints, though, singing "Even though the band naa treat me so right, I a try sing it for you tonight."