The new year started on the right note for patrons of the festivities hosted at the Halo Ultra Lounge in St. Lawrence Gap. Roman Virgo and his accompanying band were the headline act. The renowned performer, who is synonymous with his velvety delivery on his trademark lover’s rock, captivated his fans with a steady stream of his hit songs.
Though the highly travelled artiste is no stranger to these shores, having featured previously on Digicel Reggae Festival and Hennessy Artistry, this performance was a much-welcomed opportunity for his fans to have him within arm’s reach. This joy was reciprocated as the singer confirmed that he too was waiting for an opportunity such as this to perform in an intimate setting on the island.
As soon as the singer and his band — who were all clad white — emerged, patrons immediately surged closer to the stage. Virgo is undeniably a top-class act, with an exceptional voice. In his set that spanned close to two hours, the reggae crooner excited attendees as he pulled from his catalogue of popular songs. He opened his session to appreciative cheers as he launched into Beautiful, and the energy level was further heightened throughout his dynamic performance.
Among the selections he and his ensemble thrilled with included favourites like Soul Provider, Stick by You, Rain is Falling , Who Feels It Knows, Everlasting Love and Still. Interwoven into his performance were some top songs by fellow Jamaican superstars including I Could Beat Myself by Beres Hammond and Gimme Likkle One Drop by Tarrus Riley and Everyone Falls in Love Sometime by Tanto Metro and Devonte.
Virgo showed that his artistry is not restricted to the reggae genre as he teased patrons with his soca offering Nothing Better, a collaboration with Trinidadian soca artiste and skilled song writer Nadia Batson. The music video for the song was released a month ago and has already accumulated over 112,000 views. This was the first time he has performed the song on the road. The spotlight was also shone on his backup singers, who the lead act himself believes are destined for greatness. Both Janeel Mills and Tori Ann Ivy got the opportunity to show their talent with individual performances.
The entertainer is known for his emphasis on love tunes, but he continues to highlight his depth as an artiste. Patrons went wild when he started Fade Away, his track with Agent Sasco. He also addressed the issue of child abuse with the track Dutty Man. When the artiste closed his set at close to 2 am, his fans were undoubtedly left gratified with his outstanding performance.
Lil Rick.
After the reggae session was completed, the mood was switched to a calypso vibe with a performance by Lil Rick. Even though the rain had prompted some patron’s departure, he continued to deliver an energetic performance. He opened with the immensely popular Happy Birthday and added Hard Wine, which was the track that catapulted the start of his soca music career, to the mix. Even as the rain had resumed, that did not stop a few patrons from gyrating in the showers.
Earlier in the night party goers enjoyed appearances by deejays including Daddy Fabian, Menace, Mali Fresh and Fullklipp Entertainment. (STT)
