Noretta Lewis, the 2000 Jamaica Cultural Development Commission's (JCDC) gospel winner, was in her element at the JCDC gospel concert in Sam Sharpe Square, Montego Bay. - photos by Sheena Gayle

Western Bureau:

There was a verbal onslaught against dancehall entertainers at the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission's (JCDC) gospel concert in Montego Bay on Sunday, as gospel acts called for the liberation of Jamaica's music from profane and indecent messages.

A very vocal and passionate gospel act, Omari, voiced his disgust at the way in which some dancehall acts perpetuate the notion that their lyrics are creative expressions despite the lewd messages that are being spread.

Life and death

Following a performance of his popular song Help, he charged that "a some a dem ya songs need fi play on radio. Wi need to let go di whole heap a kill dis and kill dat inna di songs that are playing. Life and death is in the power of the tongue and I'm sure nobody wants to hear that their mother, brother or sister is killed tomorrow. So how wi listen to dem type a things what dem a claim sey a music?"

With his hit song Tell Mi A Who, the award-winning gospel act delivered a musical message about changing the society to the huge gathering that had converged at the Sam Sharpe Square to be entertained.

The appeal for peace and for the messages in the music to be more positive was also echoed by once-secular dancehall act Howard Reynolds, popularly known as Goddy Goddy.

He argued that the claim some entertainers make that their music does not negatively influence children is a misguided and irresponsible one.

"If yu want your child fi learn something quick, just make up a song and start to sing it and they catch on very quickly. So di point I'm making is that we as entertainers haffi be careful of what wi singing because all of our children are also hearing what is being said", Goddy Goddy reiterated.

OTHER acts

Among the gospel acts who provided excellent performances at the JCDC concert were Lighthouse Faith Praise Team, Chrysolites, Stevie B (son of pastor and entertainer Paul Blake), Mark Stephenson, who gave a resounding violin performance, Paul Blake, Dynamic Gospellairs and Lubert Levy.

Previous JCDC Gospel Song winners Noretta Lewis, Kevin Downswell and Lester Lewis were crowd favourites throughout their performances that engaged the patrons at times in a dancing frenzy.

The energetic Goddy Goddy could do no wrong at the JCDC gospel concert.