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By Neil MarksI’m not sure anyone paid for any of those seats that were taken; less than a quarter of the seats in the National Cultural Centre were filled, and that’s most likely because of all the complimentary tickets that were handed out.It was such a pity, if not for the awards, at least for the show.? What was an excellent show by local standards could not have been seen by at least an 1800 capacity crowd at the Centre, due to the high price tag on the tickets. Whose decision was that anyway?Soca duo Adrian Dutchin and Jumo perform at the Music Awards of GuyanaI mean, if you are handing out awards to musicians, you want people who listen and dance to their music, even the people who hesitate to buy an original CD, to be there.Whispers of the dismal attendance to the ears of President Bharrat Jagdeo might have caused him to opt out; we know he was due to attend,http://www.footlockershop.us.com/Climacool-revolution/, at least the show was kept waiting for him. But after 45 minutes and no build up in the audience, well, you can’t expect THE PRESIDENT to come to that, even if the man behind the awards is one of his Information Liaison officers, Kwame McKoy.McKoy’s political baggage might have caused him to step away from the limelight in the build-up to the event on November 30, but could even a mention of him being involved be haunting him now?There were some other poor decisions. Like, how on earth can you possibly award an icon such as Dave Martins during a pre-awards show? HELLO! In future, we would want to hand out such an award on the grand night, and we would need to know why he was being honoured. We would want to hear some of his music,NFL Jerseys Outlet From China, too, you think?Ruth Osman performs at the Music Awards of GuyanaOf course, the biggest Guyanese name in music is Eddy Grant; and so, if we want to recognize him, PLEASE, the next time, do it properly. That badly edited video with the poor voiceover on Eddy’s life was just plain disrespectful.? It was just as choppy as that poor excuse for an entertainment show on H&J TV by the same person who hosts the show. Somebody please teach that young lady (what’s her name again?) how to at least read fluently and clearly. We NEED to understand what you are saying. Stop slurring.And, in future, can we actually get some cordless microphones, so the people steering the show don’t have to stand behind those ugly brown podiums? It just makes the thing look tacky.? That is,cheap nfl jerseys, of course, if the hosts don’t have to be ruffling through a set of papers.The good stuffOnce the show got underway proper, you just had to get comfortable and hope the night would stay that way. And it did, and this is purely from the pessimist’s view that nothing good could be produced in Guyana.It was a set of skillful dancers from the National Dance Company, whose energy showed in their moves and faces, who set the tone for the night. The tune was Eddy Grant’s “Walking on Sunshine,” and the dancers were dressed in golden outfits with frills bearing the colours of the national flag. The vibrancy of the presentation attracted deserving cheers.Then there was an entourage of new and experienced singers for a classy performance that sent chills down the spine. (Pardon the cliché)? Whether it was Delma Lynch or Celeste David, from the smooth to the high-pitched tones, the performance resonated well.? The rendition of “Walking on Sunshine” was a soulful treat; well, except for Charmaine Blackman.What was wrong with her? Bonny Alves, please tell her that she doesn’t need to scream and yell to try to convince people that she’s trying to hold a particular range. If her idea was to be annoying and to be laughed at, she did well. Definitely, she needed to be “Separated” when the group took on Timeka Marshall’s hit single.? By the way, there is a bet on that David could do a remix of Marshall’s song and secure much more accolades than the original singer. Interesting.Halfway through the night, a stunner emerged. Dressed in vintage black, and daring to be a Rihanna look-alike from that saucy “Umbrella” video, Ruth Osman commandeered attention like no other performer was able to do.Wrapped with passion, soul and a whole lot of jazz, Osman, known particularly in the Gospel circle, launched into one of her own compositions. Her voice was simply mesmerizing.? It was the same when she put her lips to the flute and delivered a pure stream of sound that wasn’t bedevilled by the breathiness sometimes noticeable in flautists.Her performance was a triumph for those who championed the need for the music awards, though Osman herself wasn’t up for nomination.? There is sound talent out there, and it needs to be recognized.For performances in Chutney, Young Bill Rogers revived that almost raunchy “Lilawattie” number so much so that you couldn’t see that Rajesh Dubraj and Girlie Persaud were also onstage. If there was someone needed to get the audience singing, laughing, and dancing in their seats, Rogers was the man.Dubraj failed to convey any real energy with “Guyanese Baboo”, and Persaud tried as much; but, maybe because there were hardly any Chutney fans in the audience, her performance went unacknowledged.It was no surprise that none of the winners in the Chutney categories were in attendance — Terry Gajraj, Queen Yasmin, and the El Sadiek Band. Chutney music in Guyana has somehow failed to attract the same kind of attention as other music produced locally.You might want to blame that on poor writing, but there was some strong talent in both performance and song at the last National Chutney competition, but they failed to make any headway. Even the winner, Girlie Persaud, has not managed to take the nation by storm,http://www.footlockershop.us.com/Aaron/, and her song has not had as much appeal as,Authentic NFL Jerseys Wholesale, say, “Crazy” by X2.Perhaps, too,Jerseys NFL Wholesale China Online, Chutney fails to get the same kind of attention from corporate sponsors as other music genres, and so artistes suffer from a lack of promotion and finance to develop their music.Reggae group First Born, long before the hit single “Irates,” was a name to reckon with; so all they had to do was step on stage and enjoy the adulation.Their diversity in range is a far cry from the redemptive reggae songs that sometimes burden down the ears. They paint the ironies of the world with such grace that, rather than boil in anger, you are forced into a sort of ‘Gandhism’ that lets you recoil in isolation and spurs you to help make a difference.Closing off the night of performances was soca duo group Adrian Dutchin and Jumo. First things first, guys; keep the waists going, stick with the soca, and if you want to try soul, don’t do it with a zesty song as “Tick, Tock.” When we hear “Tick, Tock,” we think of a wild street jam,http://www.footlockershop.us.com/Climachill-ride-boost-gfx/, not serenading in a ballroom. So please don’t attempt the song in soul, ok?The week has passed, and we know that First Born, Timeka Marshall, Adrian and Jumo, Timeka Marshall and Eddy Neblette were the top winners.We await a report card by the organizers. Will there be another awards ceremony next year? Will they be able to attract the level of corporate sponsorship that they did, having failed to fill even the auditorium front of the Cultural Centre? What is their plan to get Guyanese music lovers to actually attend the event? |
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