Andre Jebbinson, Staff Reporter
Clive Warren is overwhelmed with joy as he is announced as the winner of the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC) 'Gospel 2K6 Finals Show', held at the National Arena, Independence Park, on Sunday. - photos by Winston Sill / Freelance Photographer
After a night of uncertainty and mixed reactions from the crowd, joy reigned supreme as Clive Warren hoisted the winner's trophy at the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission's (JCDC), National Gospel Song Competition Final held at the National Arena on Sunday.
There was little doubt that the man from Flankers, St. James, would win after nabbing the prize for most outstanding performer.
"Win or lose I was comfortable with any judgement. I was
prepared in the name of Jesus for whatever he had in store for me," said an ecstatic Warren after the competition.
Under the theme, 'Brand New Mix', the JCDC witnessed an onslaught of mind-blowing talents ranging from traditional gospel music to the more radical refrain of gospel reggae in this year's competition. The talent was there, but at the end of the night it was Warren who was better able to take control with the best vocals of all the finalists. The timely event got under way with Perpetual Praise warming up the gathering with a colourful and scintillating serenade that pleased the less than capacity arena.
The competition stuck to its form by allowing the contestants to perform a song of their choice and then their original piece. They were all on target with their song selections, except for Dwight Gordon. He started out well with Katalyst's My Lord and the crowd went berserk but that quickly faded as he went into You Deserve The Glory.
Cheers
It was a different story for Marvia Simms and the Heart For Soul Singers who stole the first segment. It seemed as though her entire congregation converged at the arena to cheer their minister on. After dropping songs such as, By The Rivers Of Babylon and A Little More Oil, the partisan crowd was no longer confined to their seats. And after the performance MCs Wyatt 'KC' Davis and Olecia Wedderburn kept asking if they had seen their winner, there was an overwhelm-ing "yes!" after Simms' first performance.
With the warm-ups out of the way, the more difficult task loomed. It was time to pull out all the stunts and gimmicks to highlight their original pieces. There were quite a few Kodak moments with the various costumes and choreography display. Rohan Blair kicked things off with a sub-par rendition of God Is With Us. But it got better with a simulating duet between John Spencer and the Minstrels, which almost sounded like Regina Belle and Peabo Bryson's A Whole New World (from the Aladdin soundtrack). Jordeen Wilson gave a powerful ministry with her song This Is Your House and although she did not win, the 19-year-old student showed real talent.
In a continuation of the first segment Simms also dominated with the use of a mento beat and a hyped Rian Davis sang Testify. But amid the sometimes overboard efforts of some of the contestants, a simmered and composed Warren kept his ground and managed to soothe the audience with Generation. So now that Warren has cemented the win, he plans to pass on the benefits to the troubled Flankers community where he resides. "This is going to change the focus of some people. I am the positive that God has placed in Flankers for a purpose."
Simms said she thought someone else's name would have been announced as the first runner-up but she was willing to settle for her second place finish. Greatvine Ministries out of Mandeville did not quite connect with the audience but they did with the judges and they were placed third.
