With 15 acts, including many first-timers, gracing the stage, a packed Frank Collymore Hall was treated to a night of aural rapture at Honey Jam Barbados last Saturday.
The line-up included tried and tested names such as Rhea Layne, Faith Callender, Emmah, Lashana Lewis, Britney Mayers and Christina Dottin, as well as some fresh faces like Josee Burton, Maya Amara, Ashlene Rahman and Melanie Jean-Baptiste.
Emmah performed her radio hit Is It Worth The Risk with a level of studio-quality precision that is only possible with original music and amazing talent.
Honey Jam Canada’s Maranda Thomas returned this year. The 18-year-old from Toronto possesses a vocal quality not unlike our own Rihanna and spectacular technical control, a combination that made her performance of Sam Smith’s Lay Me Down something of special note.
Adaeze was joined on stage by Mahalia Cummins of the big band Nexcyx and Karma Nai to give the audience a taste of Bajan hip hop in the form of Decypha. The trio took turns firing off a rapid barrage of lyrical finesse that stunned those who were able to follow.
Tionne Hernandez delivered without question the most high-energy performance of the night when she took Janelle Monae’s groovy cut Electric Lady and upped the tempo several notches. Even technical difficulties didn’t slow her down. When her mic cut out intermittently during her second verse, Tionne simply skipped over to her backups and grabbed one of their mics before heading into the crowd.
But, undoubtedly, two of the biggest performances of the night came from the smallest people to grace the stage.
Last year, Leashia Browne was partly responsible for one of the highlight moments of the 2013 showcase when songwriter Shontelle joined her on stage for an impromptu duet performance of Shontelle’s Rude Boy. This year, Browne was all on her own when she belted an ovation-worthy rendition of the Christina Aguilera ballad Hurt.
Aleah Searles also astounded with her rendition of Adele’s stripped-down 2008 track Daydreamer. With nothing more than a mellow guitar melody to accompany her, the diminutive Lodge School student filled the entire room with her powerful voice.
It is easy to forget that Honey Jam is first and foremost a developmental programme aimed at providing mentoring and networking opportunities for these young performers.
Saturday’s showcase was a culmination of that and an opportunity for the rest of us to take part. Everyone who graced the stage can be proud of delivering an amazing performance.
Behind the scenes, Ebonnie Rowe and her team continue to ensure a very professional product is delivered consistently every year; something of note in a society where mediocre can at times become the status quo. But beyond that, what Honey Jam continues to prove is an age-old truth that our forefathers seemed to have known all too well: our people are our greatest resource.