1 month ago
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Last Tuesday, over at the Price Rite area off Red Hills Road, the Meadowvale Seventh-day Adventist Church was conducting its Drama of the Ages Countdown crusade, complete with a Hummer parked outside with its sound system blaring lots of really good and inspiring gospel music, and Evangelist Kevin White in full teaching, preaching and warning mode, as he dramatically expounded on the topic, ‘One Thing God Cannot Do’.
A little more than a stone’s throw away, off Molynes Road, the environs were quieter – no boom box – however, the cars parked neatly along the road while others jostled to find parking, told its own story. The weekly Tuesday Service at The Compound was in full swing. But, truth be told, it was really just another Tuesday night in the UNESCO-designated Creative City of Music, where there was something in store for everyone.
While the crusade was fully gospel focused with the goal of calling sinners to repentance and baptising worshippers with the Holy Spirit, Tuesday Service was more eclectic and attracted devotees who were baptised with reggae music sprinkled with a little gospel. And inside The Compound, it was a full house that jammed for four solid hours – most of them standing – until the cops casually rolled up at the cul-de-sac at nine minutes past 12, a not-so-subtle reminder of the midnight lock-off.
Plastered with all the elements of a jam session, Tuesday Service has its own distinct persona, including a live band that distinguishes it from most of the other weekly events. After two hours of juggling, the talented Dub Squad band struck up at exactly 10 p.m. with the Marley classic Is This Love, and worked for 40 minutes drawing cheers from the faithfuls, whether it was a response to Ed Sheeran’s Thinking Out Loud, Rita Marley’s One Draw or Judy Mowatt’s Black Woman.
Naomi Cowan was the featured guest, and as an artiste who religiously brings a sense of reverence into her set with giving gratitude to God, she was a good fit for a jam session whose name has religious undertones. At 10:40 p.m., Naomi Cowan and her guitar took over The Compound and held sway for much more than an hour.
“ I’ve got visions and I’ve got dreams and I’ve got sunshine and everything in my life because I’ve got the love of Christ. Praises be to the Almighty,” the daughter of Tommy Cowan and gospel artiste, Carlene Davis, crooned, as she segued into El Shadai, Jahmali’s powerful 17-year-old peace and love anthem giving thanks to the Almighty. She paid tribute to the “women who inspired [her]” and it was a “pull-up” segment when she drew for Marcia Griffiths’ Dreamland, and reminded her fans that she had played the reggae queen in the internationally acclaimed Bob Marley: One Love movie.
It was a night on which Naomi, quite significantly, paid tribute to her parents who were present and singing along with her every note. At one point, she invited both of them onstage and did a duet with her mother. Of course, the fans loved every second of it. Upon exiting, Davis shouted “Thank you, Naomi,” to which she responded, “Thank you, Mummy!”
For Davis, it was pure joy to watch her daughter’s growth unfolding before her eyes. “First I must give thanks to God for her journey and how she has applied herself to that first song she wrote, Naked. The line that says ‘ I’ve made my choice, I’ll use my voice’. She has truly come into her own and is relentless in pursuit of her purpose. I came to support, but it was certainly a surprise and an amazing moment, it was a joy to share the stage with her,” the proud mother told The Sunday Gleaner.
PLEASED WITH PERFORMANCE
Tommy Cowan was pleased indeed when Naomi, with a teasing smile, repeatedly borrowed his trademark lines from his emceeing days, “Yes, indeed.” He described watching her perform as “quite an experience”.
Included in her set were Naked, True Lies, her breakout hit, Paradise Plum, for which the fans became her choir and her most recent release, Cherry on To, which she was performing for the first time.
“From the day we wrote that song I knew it was special and so I have been excited to share it for a very long time ... because I wrote it in April of 2023. [And] just seeing how quickly everyone just captured the vibe of it, singing along with us ... it’s a very, very beautiful feeling . I consider it a gift from God when you can allow your creativity to flow and then see that it serves a purpose,” Naomi told The Sunday Gleaner.
She shared that her new album, Welcome to Paradise, will be released in October. So far three singles from the album have been released – True Lies, Up to the Time and now Cherry on Top.
“This has been a journey of really standing in my power as a woman, as an independent artiste, and as a member of our community. It has taught me a lot about myself ... how to trust in the process and trust in the value of my music, trust in the quality of what I do. A lot of times we can get distracted by what is trending and feel like ‘Bwoy what’s the point’. Especially as a vocalist, sometimes it can be discouraging, but it has taught me how to continue to trust in my purpose and trust in my path,” an upbeat Naomi said.
English (US) ·