Kandré McDonald, Freelance Writer

Tara Harrison performs during the Kiwanis Club of Constant Spring's 'Evening of Elegance', held at theStella Maris Church Hall on Sunday, September 9. - Anthony Minott/Freelance Photographer

It was money well spent at the Evening of Elegance concert staged by the Kiwanis Club of Constant Spring as part of its annual fund-raising effort at the Stella Maris Auditorium, Shortwood Road, on Sunday.

Courtney Johnson started out the evening on a rather reserved manner as he blessed the venue and its audience with gospel. He however capped off his performance on a high with Jimmy Cliff's 'I Can See Clearly Now'. His performance of the song was so commanding, the crowd requested an encore.

When Everton Pessoa took centre stage he immediately captured the hearts of the patrons with his smooth voice. His choice of songs was appropriate and included several classic reggae selections.

His cover of Gregory Isaacs' Overdue went down well with the audience, members of which joined in the melody.

When he sang the line 'Long time we nuh have nuh nice time' the audience did not only sing along with him but many persons were now rocking in their chairs.

Intense

Upcoming artiste Angel B gets insane as she sings 'Rehab'. - Anthony Minott/Freelance Photographer

His interaction with the crowd was intense and this added body to his performance. When he switched genres and started singing Bette Midler's Wind Beneath my Wings the patrons joined in once again. He left the stage after singing Sam Cooke's Wonderful World, much to the delight of the appreciative audience.

A curvaceous Angel B was then introduced stage. She changed the direction of the proceedings as she did Amy Winehouse's 'Rehab'. The more senior patrons in the audience just looked on but she managed to capture the attention of the younger members.

Thirteen-year-old Dialo Cunningham's rendition of Lean on Me was also good, while 11-year-old Kashaine Brackhenridge's dance to Michael Jackson'sRock My World, rocked the audience.

DiMario McDowell's medley of love songs charmed the ladies. Mr. McDowell, backed by pianist Chris McDonald, wooed the audience with thrilling melodies and lyrics.

McDowell started out by doing Frank Sinatra's My Way, as a tribute to the late Luciano Pavarotti. He then eased into his medley which contained songs such as Reunited, The Chi-lites' Have You Seen Her, Simply Red You Make Me Feel Brand New, The Manhattans Kiss and Say Goodbye, and several others.

Class act

Singer DiMario McDowell dances with a patron. - Winston Sill/Freelance Photographer

Tara Harrison, New York-based guest artiste, was a class act. She sang Gladys Knight's Midnight Train to Georgia and Whitney Houston's I Will Always Love You.

When Gem Myers took the stage she easily outdid all her predecessors. Her selection of songs was just awesome. Her interpretation of 'We Are Family' was spot on and the audience lapped up 'My Boy Lollipop'. Her rock steady groove, which included Marcia Griffith's 'First Cut', 'You Don't Love Me' and 'I Mean It Baby' was perfectly executed.

The backing provided by the Unique Vision Band and Fab 5 was flawless and pianist Chris McDonald occasionally chipped in to get a taste of the action. After her performance the audience begged for an encore and Gem Myers returned to do Peggy Lee's 'Fever'.

Dwight Richards ended an entertaining evening with songs such If I Were a Carpenter, Everything I Own and collaborated with Tara for a rendition of the Jackson 5's I'll Be There.