THE THIRD INSTALMENT of the Hennessy Artistry show can be described as the tale of two varieties of reggae.
Undoubtedly many Barbadians turned up to take in the sexually charged, raw lyrics of dub master Shabba Ranks. After all, it had been 20 years since the self-proclaimed Bedroom Bully last performed on these shores.
But before that the expectant Kensington Oval crowd was treated to the “conscious” lyrics of traditional reggae from the likes of Buggy Nhakente, Richie Spice and Tarrus Riley.
The choice of a main act was somewhat different from previous shows in that Jah Cure was the drawing card in 2009 while last year’s show was headlined by reggae crooner Beres Hammond.
This time around, even though Shabba performed some of his softer and more traditional tunes it was the “bashy” old dub that really got the audience going.
While this was a recipe for a large audience, it was not necessarily the most natural combination.
Still there was something for everyone: Simon Pipe’s groovy style, Buggy Nhakente’s homegrown talent and emerging Jamaican talent in Darrio and Vybrant.
As for the Jamaican crowd pullers, Richie Spice was in his usual contemplative, reverent vein which had patrons in a reflective mood. Dread and baldhead alike sang as he performed several of his popular hits.
Meanwhile, Tarrus Riley was the consummate performer. He proved his versatility much to the delight of fans, especially the women in the front row who couldn’t help but reach out and touch him.
When he was joined by the homegrown Buggy Nhakente for Good Girl Gone Bad, the duo was so compatible that one could imagine the impact they would have if they recorded an original track together.
And fans may not have to wait too much longer for this. After his performance Tarrus said he was interested in collaborating with some Barbadian artistes including Alison Hinds and his “bredren” Buggy.
Eventually, the time came when reverence and reflection went out the window and the atmosphere became more charged.
The usually hard to please Bajan audience got as close as they could to the stage, and hung on to every word uttered by Shabba as they tried to get a glimpse of his trademark movements.
It was a trip down memory lane for older members of the audience as they skanked and did the bogle and butterfly along with several other dances made popular in the 1990s.
As the saying goes, all good things must come to an end but in the final analysis both young and more mature fans agreed that the performance was well worth the wait and many are eagerly anticipating next year’s show.