REVIEW: Reggae in Da City ~ April 2012~ We love it!

This is the second time I have been along to Reggae in Da City and exactly a year since my first visit.

This show was very different from the previous occasion and has grown massively, to the point where I had to exhale in order to let people pass! RIDC has clearly become extremely popular, reaching the point where a larger venue would be preferable however Cottons is a good venue and was doing a busy trade in freshly cooked Caribbean cuisine; great accompaniment to the music... tropical nights... sigh!

All of the performances were well received, with RIDC showcasing a variety of talent from big names in the reggae industry such as Andrew Sloley, Paul Dawkins and Dennis Bovell who wrote, ‘Silly Games,’all reminding us of the reasons for their success to relative newcomers. We enjoyed listening to the fresh talents of 18 year old Makeisha (apologies if this is spelt incorrectly,) the youngest performer. Makeisha sang, ‘Rolling In The Deep,’ by Adele> reggae style... pull up, pull up... giving a very powerful performance!

I very much liked Chardel, who looked great being dressed for the occasion. Chardel has a versatile and almost ‘husky’ voice that not only suits reggae but has a definite dancehall lilt. During her performance, Chardel managed to stir up the crowd and have us singing along to her song, ‘Heart On Fire.’

The RICD band was on fire once again and magically performed everything that was requested with ease. We were treated to additional guest musicians and listened to some energizing guitar music. Peter Hunnigale, regular host, explained that the key to RIDC’s success is its originality... everything is authentic and unprepared being an open mic’ event!! The upside of this is the relaxed vibe that ensues, to the point where a lady, namely Lexi sang with a bad throat... fantastic. If that’s bad what’s good going to be like? Think I best go along next month & find out!!

Unfortunately I was unable to stay to the conclusion of this event, a great pity as there were some dynamic performances from Kofi and Omar by all accounts... next time with any luck! This is definitely an event worth attending and the added bonus?? It’s free entry. The energy all night was tremendous, in fact I feel a poetic review coming on>>

Right: Brina in full flow!

REGGAE IN DA CITY

Reggae in da city coming at you live
Cotton club in da midst of da red hot vibe
First Thursday of the month
Bus, train, walk or better- drive
It’s the place to be
Keeping reggae alive!
Lover’s rock, dancehall, Roots reggae groove
Coming straight at you, coz you know we make da move.

Reggae Reggae in da city
Hot sweet vibes, dunno
Grab the mic’ Mr Honeyvibes
It’s time to start da show
Nuff guest stars appearing
They come from far and low
Grab a glass, pull up your chair
Eyes to the front... Let’s go!!

Boom boom, da band’s in tune
Maad artists hitting the flow
1 track, 2 track, 3 track, more?
No, no it’s the next guy’s go!
Audience raving, anticipating
Going mad enjoying da show
Gotta confess, it’s a major success
Coz I was there ... I know!

Jaz McKenzie 2012 ©