Contributed – Richie Stephens performing at the One Caribbean Festival in Florida recently.
The One Caribbean Music Festival which took place recently at the Central Broward Regional Park in Lauderhill, Florida, hit a sizzling energy level when Jamaican music ambassador Richie Stephens delivered a blistering performance.
Stephens took fans on a musical stroll down memory lane, crooning hits Tougher Than Before, Trying To Get To You, Fight Back and True Believer.
He upped the ante with real reggae music before segued into Winner and Spanish Harlem, which earned thunderous applause. To show his musical dexterity, the Love Your Life singer delved into the inspirational A Change Is Gonna Come that was dedicated to ‘fallen soldiers’ Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Trayvon Martin and others in the USA, who have died at the hands of cops.
The emotionally charged song was perfectly executed and had the entire park singing along. The lively gospel medley that followed, warmed hearts and set the stage for the hot new Ska Teck single Everybody Dance that raised the bar ten-fold.
“Ska Tech is definitely not just hot in Jamaica but it is now an international phenomenon. I was total blown away by how well it was embraced by fans here today,” Stephens declared, moments after he left the stage.
The singer confessed that prior to arriving in Florida, he had no plan to perform the song with dancers.
“To be honest, I had no plan to perform Everybody Dance with dancers. When I realised just how popular the song is in Florida, I had to scramble to find a competent group in less than 24 hours, and what a spectacular job the ‘Lime Light Squad’ did here today,” he remarked.
Stephens’ next big performance will be at the 19th annual Jamaica Jazz & Blues Festival set for January 29-31, 2015, at the Trelawny Multi-purpose Stadium in Falmouth.
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Richie Stephens delivers at One Caribbean Music Festival
