On a night when the performances were more good than great, bobo soldier Sizzla Kolongi stole the spotlight on International Night I of Reggae Sumfest 2004, at the Catherine Hall Entertainment Centre, in Montego Bay, unleashing the full range of his musical power to stunning effect.
Opening against a backdrop of dazzling fireworks, flaming aerosol cans and hundreds of fluttering red, green and gold flags, the diminutive Sizzla, clad in a white outfit and wearing a red, green and gold tam instead of his customary turban, opened to a rousing reception with the song Standing Firm.
Old and new
In between making it clear that, "me nuh fraid fe bun b--boy", Sizzla blended the old and the new expertly, reeling off songs such as, Good Ways, Holding Firm, Rise To The Occasion and Got It Right Here. He briefly flirted with the x-rated, belting out, Give It To Them and Pump Up P--, before reverting to, Words To The Wise and Dry Cry.
When he finally departed with confetti falling from the roof and the crowd dancing up a storm to, Thank You Mama, it was clear that the crowd really had their fill as instead of asking for more, they turned and headed towards the various exits.
In terms of excitement, hip hop stars Kanye West and Ludacris, who both performed on tracks, had the local teenage fans and the American fans, screaming themselves into hoarseness to their up tempo music. While the former, who belted out the night's first expletive, did settle down on songs such as, Selfish, You don't Know My Know, the latter was red hot with, Throw Them Bows, Don't Give A Damn and Get Out The Way.
While he did not get one of the coveted slots, rising star Mackie Conscious gave a performance that probably only fell short of Sizzla excellent set. Displaying versatility and charisma, the compelling singer quickly made the audience his captive as he opened with, The World In Trouble and followed up with, What If'.
The King
He had the fans looking on, almost in disbelief, as he expertly strummed the guitar while delivering a masterful rendition of the song, Discipline Child. After that he could do no wrong, as the crowd danced and sang along as he sealed his impressive set with, Real King and a thought-provoking song entitled, Should I Run.
While showing grace and class, the much-vaunted TOK did enough to keep their fans happy, especially when Flex climbed off the stage and worked his way into the arms of scores of screaming female fans. When they delivered songs such as, Gal Dem Way and Solid as a Rock, the rich harmony left no doubt as to the reason why they are making such rapid strides internationally.
Except for Chuck Fender, who delivered a reasonably tidy set, the much-vaunted Fifth Element family, which also featured Anthony Cruz and Richie Spice, did not measure up to expectation. While the 'spice man' reeled off the likes of, Land of Jamaica', Earth A Run Red, Groovin My Girl and Marijuana Pon De Corner, the performance lacked energy.
Of the other acts, Natty King and Iley Dread both did reasonably well, especially with their popular songs. However, when the occasion is taken into consideration, both acts may well consider their performance as a miss occasion to impress an international audience.
The trio Brick & Lace, which reminded of the vocal styling of former dancehall divas Althea and Donna of, Uptown Top Ranking fame, delivered a short sweet set, which gave the fans much to think about. Tami Chin, who followed them, was also fairly impressive and clearly has very good material in songs such as, How Yu So Hot and Shining Light.
