Gospel music has taken root in the Caribbean and is now an alternative to mainstream Dancehall and Soca music for Christian teenagers and young adults. This was apparent when a group of gospel artistes from across the Caribbean assembled on Saturday 15th June 2019 to perform in a mega concert and Album launch at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall in Guyana.

The Gospel fete included an impressive lineup of gospel music acts. The “Collab album” saw DI Anointed Vale teaming with many of the biggest names in Caribbean Gospel music to create an album of inspiring music that targets the youth in the Christian Congregation. The mega concert included a birthday cake presented to DI Anointed Vale by his wife, and major performances from local and international gospel artiste with an urgent call for unity amongst gospel artiste by the event host Gospel singer Kester D.

 

The evolution of gospel music was on show at this mega concert as the young performers delivered energetic performances that had the audience members partying like rock stars to the messages of the gospel. Amongst the star-studded lineup of performers was DJ Nicholas of Kingston Jamaica whose well received high energy performance had the entire audience jumping and dancing as the Gospel star belted hit after hit. DJ Nicholas’s popularity was evident as the audience responded to his many hits from the sound of the first beat. He delivered an absolutely riveting crowd engaging performance that blew the minds of those present for the spectacular performance. He ended by telling the audience of his love for performing to Guyanese audiences remarking on their over whelming support for his craft.

 

Guyanese gospel singing sensation Shawn English also performed at the concert.  English who was catapulted into the mainstream of Guyanese entertainment via the coveted GTT Guyana Star Singing Competition, is now one of the most recognizable voices in gospel music in today. He is known for his blended sound that samples from a wide variety of musical genres including pop, soul, rock and even rap/poetry which he expertly combines with a vocal energy that can transform a funeral song into a dance anthem. Shawn English’s performance at the mega concert displayed all the finer qualities that defines the Shawn English experience. He electrified the audience with his characteristically high energy performance and brilliant vocals.

 

Di Anointed Vale was undoubtedly the man of the moment but not many will argue that the performance of the night came from the global reggae gospel Family band Christafari. Christafari is as extensively catalogued gospel band that calls themselves “Musicianaries” and professes a mandate to minister to as many of the world’s population as possible through their music.  The band brought the house down with a performance that can be labeled as pure artistic gold as the band brought together the different factions of the arts to create one monumental performance. The family band treated the audience to some expertly choreographed dance routines, Brilliant vocals including; an awe-inspiring rendition of the Hill Song United’s hit “oceans”, a little bit of drama and a stylistic, over the shoulder guitar solo that dazzled the audience. Their performance was hit long before they decided to hose the audience with water in a surprise move elicited deafening screams of joy and applause from the enthused crowd. The performance never lost its intensity as they closed their performance with a bit of standup by Lead vocals Mark Mohr as he addressed serious religious issues such as baptism and hell fire through lighthearted humor and closed with a prayer.

 

Host Kester D took used the mega concert as a platform to address rumors of disharmony between the big-name gospel artistes. He repeatedly told the audience “it’s a one love thing” they are promoting and thanked, soon to be featured, Saiku Andrews for supporting the event. Caribbean Entertainment Hub wishes all these artistes continued success on their future endeavors and looking forward to continually featuring the development and evolution of gospel Music since it’s such an integral part of our cultural fabric.

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