From Lady Saw to Marion Hall to being both persons at once, the queen of dancehall demonstrated that dancehall artistes can make a musical transition, and grow with the music, through her splendid performance at the 14th staging of the Jamaica Jazz and Blues festival.
In sheer brilliance, and obvious signs of musical growth, Marion Hall executed her 35-minute performance through smooth timeless hits like My Silly Heart, Love Hurts and Brown Eyes Blue.
A bit concerned
She was originally billed to perform at 6:30 p.m., something she was a bit concerned about, but due to a late start on the final night of the festival, she entered on-stage at approximately 7:30 p.m. to be greeted by a huge crowd who were eager to see what Marion Hall had to offer.
With her usual eye for fashion, Marion wore a pink dress with silver sequins, her hands draped in black gloves and sporting eye-dazzling jewellery. From start to finish, she kept her audience engaged and yearning for more as she did an emotional Less Than A Woman song for persons who are not able to conceive a child.
But she could not exit the Jamaica Jazz and Blues Stage without delving into her persona as Lady Saw. With Sycamore Tree and Healing, Marion ‘Lady Saw’ Hall showed that her versatility on the microphone will offer her longevity in the music business.
responses
During an interview after her performance, she revealed that she was pleased with the performance and the responses she received from the audience.
“This is my first time at jazz so I really wanted to show my fans that there is another side to me other than Lady Saw,” she reasoned. “I had so many songs that I could have done but when I checked the time I had to perform, I decide to minimise the list of songs.”
While she gave an excellent performance at Jazz fest, she affirmed that this is not a sign of her giving up her raunchy Lady Saw persona.
“Many persons are asking are you now going by Marion Hall?” she smiled “I am not giving up Lady Saw, it is what brought me to prominence. I am simply enhancing my musical career with Marion Hall and growing with the music.”
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