SHE WAS LIKE hot lava as she wiggled her body across the stage.
As if spewed from the volcano in her native Montserrat, soca star Jaydene heated up the Gymnasium of the Garfield Sobers Sports Complex last Sunday night.
She was high energy from start to finish, and her full-body contortions had people in the audience hyped as she sang her hit song Don’t Call My Phone, which spoke about regular calls from the girlfriend of one of her platonic male friends. Her opening number was full of gyrations as she sang about doing it better.
The fans were clearly not the only ones impressed by her form. Soca queen Alison Hinds commented on it and said she had to do “something” with her.
But the fiery lass was not the only memorable act in the entertainment package of the inaugural Caribfest Awards, which saw Tessane Chin, Kassav, Alison Hinds and Square One, Edwin and krosfyah and Wayne Wonder being presented with Caribfest Awards. There was also a dance tribute to Bob Marley, Jackie Opel, Arrow, Lord Kitchener and Celia Cruz.
The soca heat got even hotter with Edwin, who sang Pump Me Up and Chrissening. His fans lapped it up and the audience had an extra treat in the form of an enthusiastic male dancer who was part of the supporting cast.
Peter Ram was also in there and thrilled fans with I Need A Woman By My Side.
Raggamuffin queen Alison Hinds showed people how to mix it up in a set where she sang hits from the different stages of her career. Those songs included You Make Me Feel Special, Faluma, Roll It and Back It Up.
They were not nearly up to full strength, but the two members of Kassav packed a serious wallop with the evergreen and infectious Zouk La Se.
The celebration of Caribbean artistes also saw performances from rising star Tessane Chin and Wayne Wonder, who did three songs each.
Bringing a different vibe, but Caribbean still, were Tamika Marshall and Christal Cane. Marshall arguably endeared herself to the audience and members of the entertainment fraternity all the more because of One More Day, which was inspired by a friend whose mother had been diagnosed with breast cancer. She dedicated it to all those who would have been affected in some way by the disease and encouraged them to continue fighting and hoped for a cure.
On the jazzy side of things, Rosemary Phillips and Ria Borman were there to represent. Borman closed the show and impressed with her tremendous skills. The show got off to a fantastic start with a performance from Sabrina Estwick.
