BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – NIGHT TWO of the St. Kitts Music Festival has already been declared as the best of the three-night activity, according to one patron who was at the event last evening.
The patron felt strongly that the artistes who performed last night (June 26) - the Odisi Band, Dagah, Ziggy Rankin, Stephen Marley, Beres Hammond and Burning Spear - have surpassed Thursday night’s performance and believes it would also be better than tonight’s event.
The Odisi Band, which hails from sister isle Nevis, was the first band to perform last evening, and although the crowd was not as large as members of the band would have liked, they were still able to deliver a splendid performance setting the energy for the night at a high.
Local artiste Kwame ‘Dagah’ Samuels talked the talk and he walked the walk and deserves all bragging rights, as he certainly delivered the goods last evening.
Upon arrival on stage, it was pure energy from the young Hip-Hop/Rap artiste who made his third appearance at the festival last night after having performed with fellow Kittitians Crucial Bankie and Masud Sadiki in the past.
By the time he appeared on stage, many more people had showed up and his opening performance of ‘I Rep’ went down really well with the audience.
Persons kept commenting on how he professionally showcased himself while onstage and the exquisite manner in which he carried the microphone, as he displayed that he was not afraid to do his ‘thang’ for the first time at the festival as a solo act.
Samuels will soon be releasing his official debut album titled ‘In Search of Dagah’. He said that the struggles he endured while growing up has helped shaped him to be the positive person he is.
Speaking of positivity, it is definitely what Ziggy Rankin of Trinidad is all about, as his renditions reflected his wishes for a better life for all humanity.
Ziggy Rankin is said to be a promising artiste from the Caribbean who is destined to become a mega star in the near future.
He was first recognised in the entertainment industry when he sang ‘Miserable Life’, and this song was being chanted by most of the patrons last night as they jumped, pranced and gyrated for the Reggae act.
However, true to his Trinidadian culture, he also crossed over into the soca world with the ladies’ favorite ‘Love How Yuh Wining’.
During his performance, Rankin introduced an upcoming artiste who is also a host for TEMPO - Devon Matthews - and he also paid tribute to two great fallen artistes, Bob Marley and Michael Jackson.
The crowd also loved the vibe of another of his songs, ‘Another One Gone Again’, which speaks of crime and violence among the youths.
By the time Rankin’s performance was over, the crowd had grown massively and awaited the arrival of the late great legend’s son, Stephen Marley.
What better way for anyone to hear the music of the legend, who had touched so many lives, than from one of his sons.
When Stephen ‘burst’ onto the stage sometime around 11:00 p.m., a massive crowd had gathered before him as he sang ‘Roost Rock Reggae’.
And, perhaps, in comparison with all his brothers, his style of music and vocals are also the closest to his father’s, which is a plus. He also sang a number of his father’s other hits including ‘Three Little Birds and ‘Redemption Song’.
He also performed some hits off his debut album, ‘Mind Control’, which took home the Grammy for Best Reggae Album at the 50th Annual ceremony last year.
Stephen has also taken home a total of six Grammys during his career, which is more than any other reggae artiste.
He did not end his performance before singing his hits, ‘Traffic Jam’ and ‘Let Her Dance’.
Stephen is a natural performer! He was more concerned with delivering a great performance through his music than ‘hyping’ up the crowd.
He added no gimmicks to his performance but pure natural vibes.
His mellow performance onstage went down exceptionally well as he delivered smooth reggae music for the people to meditate.
When his performance ended, the people wanted more but it was time for another legendary performer to go onstage.
It was Beres Hammond, who sent shivers up the patrons’ spines by just the mention of his name.
Beres Hammond has performed a number of times at the St. Kitts Music Festivals, and each time it gets better. Despite what some individuals said about him being at the festival on numerous occasions in the past, when he entered the stage many people tried to get as close to it as they possibly could.
‘Can’t Stop A Man’ was the first tune he sang and his performance included a number of hits that kept the crowd rocking.
‘No Disrespect’, ‘Tempted to Touch’, ‘Who Say (Big Man Nuh Cry)’, ‘Love from A Distance’ and ‘Sweet Lies’ all followed.
Nearing the end of his performance, Beres sang ‘Love means never to say that you’re sorry’, which is a powerful lyrically-strapped song, and the crowd sang word for word as many couples swayed holding each other closely.
Beres is said to be an artiste for the lovers, and just before he made his way to the stage, one of the hosts for the night, Sweet Sister Sensia, declared that it was now time for the ladies who were by themselves to go looking for a partner to dance with.
Ending his performance, the artiste showed that his career is still on the right path and sang his recent hit - ‘I feel Good’ - before ending with ‘Giving thanks’.
It was evident that everyone was feeling good dancing to the reggae songs that Beres performed. He is a timeless artiste that can be heard for hours! There is nothing negative to say about him as a performer, except that he should have been given more time than an hour as he had so many wonderful hits to perform.
The next and final act for the night was the legendary Burning Spear who performed wee into the hours of the morning.
Half way into the artistes’ performance, some persons began leaving which included a large amount of a young people who were not too familiar with his music.
However, Spear kept the fire burning as he showcased a lot of instrumentals while singing songs that reflect his Rastafari Movement.
He sang songs from 12 of his albums which reflected the influence Marcus Garvey and Bob Marley had on his life.
In 2009, Burning Spear released an album titled ‘Jah is Real’ which won the Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album in 2009.
Although Burning Spear is a legend in his own right, some persons voiced that the committee had made a bad decision by placing him to end the night. They had preferred Beres Hammond.
Tonight’s festival continues with performances by Hans & The Hillbillies, KC-5, Shakki, Regina Belle, T-Pain and KC and The Sunshine Band.
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