By Chaos, Freelance WriterKYANN KNIGHT and her band M3 (M Cubed) put in a much-improved performance at 'Tuesday Night Live Open Microphone Night' at the Village Café, while deejay Royale, with karaoke queen Claire Plumber helping out, more than impressed at the Barbican Road, St. Andrew venue, on Tuesday.
The night officially got off to a start at 10:45 p.m. with the house band Ting Deh being rechristened 'The Cunning Linguist' by emcee Shaggy for reasons he did not care to disclose. Cliff Bonds on drums; Wayne McGregor, Omar Francis and David Lazarus on guitars and Richard 'Sven' Patterson on the keyboard rocked the café with a rendition of Jimi Hendrix's Red House, McGregor providing the vocals.
A few songs later, Kyann and M3 took the stage. Knight, in a black bodysuit that clung to her body in ways that would make a Taliban member's eyes bulge in outrage, had a 'Rasta' belt loosely hanging around her waist and was all vibes and vitality. Opening with a few bars of Roberta Flack's Killing Me Softly, back-up singer Hugh-Roy Rattigan providing unnecessary back-up support. Sheldon Howell on bass, Calbert Hutchinson on drums, Ezron Richards on trumpet and Damon Riley on the saxophone provided excellent support, proving that the ensemble had spent a lot of time rehearsing since the last time The Gleaner saw them a month ago.
Only 17, Kyann displays confidence and a stage presence well beyond her years as she worked the crowd like a professional, a sweet smile threatening to leap off her face. People are you ready? she asked, before instructing the packed café just how to respond. People are you ready?
Blow!
Oh Lawd
People are you ready to rocksteady?
Blow!
Oh Lawd preceded a sultry version of Peggy Lee's Fever, Kyann's lissom form moving in tandem with the music, as she was smiling and seductive.
An original, La La La, followed, which the singer introduced by saying Ever love somebody and hate them at the same time? Yuh waan kill them an' hug them same time. Melodic chimes from the keyboard set the stage for the song, which displayed an improvement in writing skills and voice control on the part of the singer, with the trumpet and saxophone providing a nice dimension. Kyann then played a tribute of sorts to Deborah Glasgow by performing the singer's Champion Lover, Knight saying that she did not know who originally sang the song but she was unable to get it out of her head.
A medley followed, Dennis Brown's Should I and Beres Hammond's Step Aside being included in a display that impressed. The rest of Killing Me Softly closed the set; it was a slower, more laidback version which allowed Kyann more scope to display her impressive vocal skills to loud applause.
After Richards and Riley had taken the Village down ska's memory lane, Kyann performed an encore of sorts by doing justice to Beres' Sweet Lies.
After her performance the Solid Boys - Dominant and Tidal - went 'old school' as they exchanged witty lyrics concerning ambition and absentee fatherhood, with a fair degree of comedy thrown into the mix.
Later on, Royale would enlist the aid of Claire Plumber, the latter singing the Gloria Gaynor hit I Will Survive with gusto and attitude, paving the way for the deejay to deliver his scathing counteraction, which for some odd reason was dedicated to Patterson. McGregor took the lead on Lenny Kravitz's Fly Away, with Royale adding a dancehall dimension before he delivered Prado over a fascinating dancehall/rock hybrid courtesy of 'The Cunning Linguist'.
The night came to an end with the band performing a fascinating rendition of Radiohead's National Anthem, the swirl of instruments threatening to transport one to places previously undreamt of.
