12 finalists chosen for Teen Talent showdown

by Charmaine Walker

The judges had a difficult job in a very tight competition at the Barbados Museum on Sunday night. But in the end they arrived at a worthy 12 competitors for the final of the 44th edition of the Richard Stoute Teen Talent Competition.

The finalists are Theres Lambert, Casey Jemmott-Boyce, Donna-Lisa Yearwood, Tavon Boyce, Tarique Griffith, Kereesa Chase, Kenyah Joseph, Roneisha Alleyne, Daianna Price, Kymani Devonish, Justine Blair and Shontae Alleyne-Clarke. The final is slated for November 8.

The 7 p.m. show started with the talented Roneisha Alleyne who rendered You Say in the first half and later performed Good Job in the second half.

The title of her second selection aptly described her overall performance as she showed good voice control throughout and seemed very comfortable on stage. She appeared to be a relatively easy pick for the judges.

Not to be left out was the dynamic Shontae Alleyne–Clarke who sang I Surrender in the first half and returned in the second half with a powerful interpretation of ageless diva Tina Turner’s hit Simply The Best.

If her vocals weren’t enough, she had the audience on the edge of their seats with her dance moves.

Another contestant who had  the crowd on their feet was Kymani Devonish, who never fails to impress with his vocal style. He did a great job with Everything I Do in his first appearance but it was in the second half when dressed in a well-tailored red and black suit that he captivated the fans with his rendition of Whitney Houston’s 2003 hit Try It On My Own.

Kenyah Joseph gave wonderful renditions of Someone Like You and Skyfall. Her choice of songs once again showed she is quite an admirer of the music of Adele, and she did credit to the British star’s music.

Tavon Boyce delivered Flying Without Wings and Always And Forever with confidence, while Theres Lambert sang Rihanna’s Love On The Brain and Shallow. Lambert showed that she could be among the frontrunners in the final with a terrific display of vocal range.

Given the quality displayed by the young performers on Sunday,  the judges could have greater headaches selecting a winner from the excellent line-up on the night of the finals. (CW)