Teino Evans, Staff Reporter
Marvin Fishley performs at the Tastee Talent Trail Grand Finals, held at Mas Camp, Oxford Road, New Kingston, on Saturday. He won the grand prize. - Winston Sill/Freelance Photographer
The 2007 Tastee Talent Trail culminated on Saturday at the Mas Camp Village, Oxford Road, New Kingston, before a capacity crowd who came out in full support of their favourite contestants.
Ten finalists sought to claim their fame as they vied for the cash prize and a talent contract worth one million dollars.
Each contestant had two chances to thrill the audience and impress the judges, the first segment seeing the contestants performing a piece of their choice before returning to the stage to perform the piece that qualified them for the finals.
The Dustville Dancers, clad in army fatigue, kicked up a storm to the sound of Kartel's Empire Army, but the scratched CD did not allow them to realise their full potential.
Marvin Fishley's powerful voice telling of God's Mercy had the undivided attention of patrons; Melvin Gayle sought to sweep the ladies off their feet with his rendition of Richie Stephens' Take Me Away; Lennox Forbes had no problem with his Bridge Over Troubled Water; Garrette Simmonds dressed to impress, did not win the hearts of the judges and Cydia McPherson, the lone female in the finals, stood tall as she sang To God Be The Glory.
But one of the biggest crowd reactions for the night came when Kibwe Lawrence explained why he loved to see the women in their Pencil Foot Jeans, as his deejay, rap-like style had patrons bouncing to his lyrical flow.
During the break, special guest artiste Yellowman thrilled the audience as he took the stage singing Zoom, goo zoom.
The veteran deejay managed to deliver a very energetic, fun-filled set, including favourites like Orphan and A lot a man nah get nuh girl tonight.
The second round of performances got on the way with Garfield Lawrence, as he tuned his saxophone to the sound of Tarrus Riley's She's Royal, while the hilarious performance of The Garbage Man duo of Sheldon Williams and Yuri Stewart followed.
Active audience
It was clear that each of the 10 finalists had their own fan base in the audience, which encouraged their favourites and booed the judges whenever they made comments that were not favourable in their sight.
Nevertheless, as the judges deliberated backstage on the winner, patrons were kept well entertained by 'the doctor', Beenie Man, who deejayed dancehall hits such as Dude, Toy Friend and Mi Come Again.
'The Doctor' even showed off some of his tap dancing skills, much to the delight of the audience as he later went into some old favourites like Who Am I and Romie. After an encore, Beenie Man left patrons feeling the effect of his Heart Attack.
Other guest performers included Nadine Sutherland, the Monster Twins, T.O.K. and Ms. Thing.
In the end, when the winner was announced, cheers erupted around the Mas Camp venue as Marvin Fishley stepped on stage to collect his $500,000 cheque.
Speaking with The Gleaner backstage, Fishley said he could hardly believe it when his name was called for the winning spot.
"I had to ask myself, 'is it me, is it me'? Trust me, I feel awesome, I feel good," said an elated Fishley.
The win, according to him, is only the beginning, as he plans to pursue a career in music.
"I'm going to continue singing, do my album and be a minister to the souls that are lost and claim them back for Christ," the police constable who has been in the force for just over two years said.
