A capacity-size audience turned out for the seventh staging of the Capital and Credit Financial Group Pickney Love at Christmas, held on Tuesday night at the Jamaica Pegasus Ballroom.

The show had it all: screen presentations, singing, dancing and speech, performed by the young and the old. And the audience thoroughly enjoyed it.

The vaudeville (variety show) fittingly began with the National Anthem followed by the Capital and Credit Chorale. Smartly dressed in long-sleeve red shirts, boasting the crest of their company, and black bottoms, the chorale warmed the audience with Welcome to Pickney Love and Lean on Me.

Warming up the audience were the Wolmer's Prep Dance Troupe and Wolmer's combined chorale. Both groups grasped the technical aspects of their particular discipline but their facial expressions lacked joy.

Empress Roberta and Kieiela 'Candy' Issacs got the first half going. Issacs, with her jazz style, had the audience clapping to her every note. This seemed to warm up the Wolmer's Prep Dance Troupe on its return as it did the 'Nuh Linga' and 'Gully Creepa', much to the delight of their relatives and friends.

Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC) Festival Song 2008 winner, Roy Rayon, who ended the first segment, returned to start the second. He turned up the love with vintage music such as Another One Come and closed his act with Give Thanks and Praises.

Passionate

A witty on-screen monologue by Oliver Samuels was also a feature of the second segment. Samuels played the role of a newscaster reporting for 'To De World News'.

Nano Moses, a theology major who ministers through poetry, was passionate in his dub poems with his condemnation of irresponsible men: "Man nuh tief; man nuh waste time on street corner," he declared.

The stars, including Digicel Rising Stars (Kahlil and Cameal Davis), had the audience eating out of their hands. On the entrance of Marcia Griffiths, dubbed "royalty in reggae" by host François St Juste, the excited patrons were energised and rocked to a medley of her songs including the Electric Style. Queen Ifrica preached the need for good parents in Daddy Don't Touch Me There and The Chariot, Derek Harriot, rolled in with I was born a loser.

Icing on the cake

Richie Spice was great in his singing but failed with eye contact. Lovindeer was the icing on the cake as he closed the show with Wild Gilbert and his ever-popular Pocomania Day.

Also performing at the show were Chadique Young, Bagadito, Tamlins and To-Isis. Elva Ruddock shared emcee duties with St Juste.

Chairman of Capital and Credit Financial Group, Ryland Campbell, paid tribute to former JCDC performing arts director, Joyce Campbell, who died last month.

"Joyce has been a part of this event since its inception and has helped to make Pickney Love the success it is today," said Campbell.

A brief video clip of tributes to Campbell followed.

- M.R.

Lloyd Lovindeer - Photo by Janet Silvera