Tastee talents tantalise THEY CAME like prospectors searching for gold, armed with their tools of song, dance, poetry and skit. When the curtains came down on the Tastee Talent Contest at Cross Roads on Thursday night, the top four miners were dub-poet Jenice Daley, gospel singers Kevin Downswell and Lisa Dillon, and the Levy Brothers. Daley was hungry for gold as her piece Mi Hungry spoke about hard life. She made no bones about being on the edge of starvation by adding almost an inch of white substance on her lips which represented "white squall". The 22-year-old Kingstonian, clad in a school uniform that was much too short and tight, came on stage crying out "Star-eee" but before long, she was crying about hunger pains. For her convincing portrayal, she won a total of $65,000 which included $50, 000 as the prize for first place and another $15, 000 for originality. Next in line was Kevin Downswell, a student of the University of the West Indies, who came searching for his gold with Christ in mind. His entry Will You Try Jesus came across well. His cheerfulness was evident and as he sang he used the stage well, repeating Will you try Jesus. His $35,000 second prize was well deserved. Lisa Dillon certainly answered Kevin's with her entry, My Desire. The 29-year-old mother whose philosophy is that There Is No Life Without Jesus, walked away with $32,000, $7,000 of which she won for the being best dressed female. Not to be forgotten were the Levy brothers. The duo rendered Lord Will You. They grabbed the attention of the crowd who went wild when the younger brother, Oniel, danced the ska. Their $30,000 cash prize included $10,000 for being the most dynamic performers. However, one could not overlook those who tried hard, but failed to win. Some provided comic relief like Paul Wellington, who 'pirated' the rhythm of last year's winner, Desmond Boyd. At least he was innovative enough to slide out a patty which he said lost in one of his shoes. This he ate, much to the amusement of the crowd. COMIC RELIEF There was more comic relief in the form of Paytence, a poor imitation of the group Destiny's Child. Their tight-fitting leather suits and braided hair did not conceal the fact that they just could not sing. The audience had enough patience to bear with them to the end however. Comedian Miguel Mason's contribution was memorable. Using FINSAC as the title of his performance, he went through a series of jokes, almost all of which have been heard before. Rastafarian singer, Leonard Lawrence, delved into some cultural heritage with the song Bingi Bingi. Waving a red, green, gold and black flag, he got across his message that any form of injustice is wrong. Winston Hankel brought back memories of Dennis Brown, though minus the locks. The people, however, wanted more than Love and Hate, which was made popular by the late reggae icon. There was much to gain from even those who did not come up with golden treasures, like dub-poet Stacey K. Brown who had a sound lesson for irresponsible fathers. Our street children also came in for much focus with Phillip Hyatt's lines: "Give a little help to the children on the streets Sometimes what they want is a little food to eat..." For the girls who usually go 'head over heels' over singers, Ralston Davidson and Wayne Buchanan had them screaming with Crazy. Emcee for the show was Bagga Brown. The next semi-final show is July 26.
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