Mel Cooke, Freelance Writer
YVAD
AS YVAD was finishing the latest instalment of Wednesday night live music in the courtyard outside Griot Music's Old Hope Road, St. Andrew, headquarters, the sound went.
The music did not go totally, though, as the drummer kept a steady beat briefly and the enthusiastic music lovers sang the refrain "I want to give it all baby" repeatedly as the technicians tried to get back sound.
When that did not work it seemed to be all for the night, the organiser, guitarist Seretse Small, starting to thank all as the musicians started packing up. However, although Yvad had already been through a number of songs, there were protests that his standout We Need Love should be done, acoustic style.
HIGH IMPACT CONCERT
The guitar was duly strapped on and he strummed and sang of Dreams, before doing We Need Love, a high impact concert in the small setting suddenly becoming an intimate 'gather round the singer and sing along' affair.
It was a good end to a good night, on which Nicky Rodriguez sang an untitled song of love and Nelly from Dominica, with the Inside Out band in good nick, rocked it strictly roots reggae style, the hem of her long green skirt swishing above her black boots.
Nelly offered Peace and Love, advised "this is Jah Jah world we are living in", put a snippet of the Pirate's Anthem into her plea to disc jockeys to "play Jah music night and day/don't bother with the nastiness" and ended with Marley's Iron Lion Zion.
Desmond's sole song, which advised "you got to be patient until your time," was highly appreciated. Kayan started softly enough with "we can't take this no longer," but when his voice rose powerfully into "some way, somehow I know," his long legs stretching across the performance areas with his emphatic body movements, the audience erupted.
Another song was requested and Kayan went acoustic, playing the guitar and asking in song "how does it feel to hurt the one you love so much?", before Yvad stepped to the microphone for the night's final performance.
