Bushman Blazes At Tosh's Tribute

Thursday, November 1st, 2007

In Jamaica, the Annual 'Tribute to Peter Tosh', staged at The Independence Park in Savanna-la-Mar, Westmoreland, lived up to its reputation as one of Jamaica's best one-night shows, as fans were treated to a rich diet of pulsating reggae music.  While it could justifiably be argued that the militant Bushman, whose dazzling set was chock-full of Peter Tosh's classics, was the night's outstanding performer, for many fans, the same could be said about Canadian-based singer Steele, Tosh's nephew Edge Michael, Luciano, female sensation Etana and lyrically potent Mackie Conscious.  While he never took the stage, much accolade was showered on promoter Worrell King, who was praised for his persistence in keeping Tosh's memory alive and for offering the star-studded line free of charge to the thousands of fans who jam-packed the mid-town venue.

Bushman, the penultimate act on the show which started at 8:30 p.m. and ended close to 4:30 a.m., started with a bang, reeling off his hit song, Light House, before slipping neatly into Tosh's catalogue, much to the delight of the fans who roared their approval.

Looking quite authoritatively clad in his military-style fatigue with his dreadlocks flowing down his back and around his face, it was then a case of 'Bushman singing the Bush Doctor' as he sent the fans wild with exceptional renditions of Legalise It, Jah Guide, Caa Blame De Youth, Stepping Razor and Don't Look Back, evoking memories of Tosh at his best.  The tempo never changed as he showed off his versatility, unleashing his own Love Me For A Reason and Gregory Isaacs' Tune In, which prompted a call for an encore when he left the stage. His encore, which featured Down Town and East Side, was also quite rich.

Steele was a bungle of energy and charisma. After introducing himself with his brilliant cover of Bob Marley's Slave Driver, he simply went into overdrive, creating musical joy as he danced and pranced around the stage, belting out songs such as You Have Lost That Love, Better Must Come and the though-provoking Confession.  Edge Michael left no doubt that he has arrived as a bona fide artiste and is now poised to become the latest member of the Tosh clan to grab international attention. While his set was fairly short, he displayed awesome capability as he sang his uncle's Reggaemilitis, his own Hotter Than Hot and his hit destined, Delilah.

In a grand show of female power, the silky smooth Etana, the only female on the line-up, delivered as good a set as any, which justifiably earned her an encore. She was all class, especially on her trademark hits, Roots and Wrong Address.  In terms of raw intensity, Luciano and Mackie Conscious were both quite compelling as musical messengers. Luciano, who was celebrating his birthday, was blazing in reeling off Sweet Mama Africa, Ulterior Motive, Give Praise and Tosh's Legalise It in a set in which he also offered members of the audience "a little smoke" from his pouch.  Mackie Conscious, who continues to amaze with the maturity of his performances, showed of his full musical competence as he played the bass guitar in his excellent set, which included Tosh's Equal Rights and his own, Lucky Me Nuh Lucky and Can't Be A King.

Iyah Blaze, from the House of Leeds, used the occasion to advertise himself as an artiste to watch, while other such as Aaron Silk, Desi Boyd and Justice Merchant all show great maturity and a readiness to go places. Iyah Blaze's latest song, Saturday Night At The Movies, which was done in combination with the vocal trio Soul for Soul, all but brought the house down.

Of the other acts, the veterans Leroy Sibbles and Edi Fitzroy were like teachers in a classroom, delivering their songs with a minimum of fuss, yet drawing rich applauds for their efforts.