Friday, March 29, 2024

Tamara’s Corner

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SHE WAS JAZZY. She was animated. And she was in good voice.

During her approximately 40-minute long performance, she navigated through several musical genres. With a reputation of being diverse, you oughta know that Tamara Marshall lived up to the hype at her first-ever Mahalia’s Corner.

By the end of the night, if the standing ovation that she received was not an indicator the audience enjoyed the set, then it should have been apparent when the show’s host Mahalia was cut off while reading her credits.

It wasn’t out of rudeness but she was beseeched by requests from fans who asked for an encore performance from the headlining act. And for the second time that night, Marshall paid homage to Alanis Morissette and close off with Morissette’s bluntly aggressive You Oughta Know.

Backed by the band NexCyx, who put a soca twist to the 1995 alternative rock tune, Marshall showed her vocal prowess. Her electrifying energy on stage reduced keyboardist Andre to his knees. This is the spot he played from until the end of the performance.

And what it all came down to was that her performance would only get better. When it was time for her to perform Morissette’s One Hand In My Pocket, she used both hands to open up with a harmonica solo.

While her homage to Morissette was moving, the tribute to her parents in the originally penned 64 was where she pulled inspiration.

After her rendition of I Can’t Make You Love Me, one woman shouted, “Thank you! I always wanted to hear that song at Mahalia’s Corner”.

At the third show of the 2015 season of the Nexworld musical showcase, the audience was taken on a Supernatural Voyage when she performed her original gospel song.

The joke of the night seemed to be a bet Marshall made with the band. They bet to see if she would cry throughout the night. But, while she did wipe her face once or twice, whether the tears came or not was unclear.

The duo of Nicovia and Larix singing How Many More 

nicovia-and-larix

But what was certain was that she has enjoyed her career. And she reminded everyone of the fun times she had in her earlier days when she toured with calypso group Spice & Company and reggae artiste Maxi Priest, singing background vocals for both.

She then went into her reggae repertoire with songs including Caution and Should I.

Another shining moment in her performance was her Zombie cover, which she said she had not rehearsed with the band. And in the spirit of spontaneity, a speaker fell off the stage. But the audience seemed not to notice.

The night’s guest acts included Tonieka Thompson, Torian, Lee Allen, Tyreik Kendall, Maya Amara, DJ Simmons, Daniel Ramsay, Nicovia & Larix and Adaeze.

The social issues that Tyreik Kendall and the barefooted DJ Simmons tackled in their spoken word pieces got everyone talking.

So much so that Daniel Ramsay wondered aloud how he was supposed to follow up the thought-provoking performances.

Nicovia & Larix added their own flavour to John King’s How Many More. Before performing her original song Battle CryAdaeze gave an “uncomfortable” speech where she explained that she recently was confronted by a family in poverty. There was a silence across the room as she spoke.

Not to be outshone, Spotlight artiste Joaquin was a Man On Mission. He sang his original songs Rum, which he released for Crop Over 2015, and Hotter Than Mexico.

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