Mel Cooke, Freelance Writer
TONI ANDERSON sighed, smiled and apologised when she finally got onstage at RedBones the Blues Café on Friday night to do mainly songs from her new album You Are The One.
It was two hours, a few unamplified explanations, many methodical manipulations of equipment and, finally, a low 'microphone check' after the slated 9:00 p.m. start.
And still the members of the audience, who occupied most of the seats provided at the Braemar Avenue, New Kingston, venue, were patient, a spatter of applause receiving the explanation at 10:00 p.m. that was in order at 4:00 p.m., but when the Gumption band returned to start the show there was simply no sound.
Hands that clapped provided fingers that snapped when Anderson asked "Snap your fingers for me ... I want everybody to snap their fingers with me", setting the pace herself. She smiled as they did, a bit wider this time, and began Just The Two of Us.
POWERFUL AND CONTROLLED VOCALS
Locks hanging over the back of her brown top, toned shoulders flexing with the hand movements, and balancing easily on a sturdy lower body which filled her blue jeans, Anderson removed the microphone from the stand at the start of the second verse, the keyboards coming in at the same time. Anderson gave an indication of her powerful but controlled vocals on the second delivery of the chorus, the entire band now playing, swinging her arms from the waist to smack together in front of her, hips swaying slightly.
The song ended to strong applause.
She dedicated the title track of the album, the reggae track You Are The One, to everyone for being so patient, emphasising her gratitude with "thank you to each and every one of you, thank you" when it was over. Anderson continued with reggae rocking matters of the heart but from the tougher side, singing with feeling over a slow, driving reggae beat that "Sister Blue is tired of Mr. Vicious/always abusing and never loving ... Sometimes I feel like leaving/But something keeps me hanging/That crazy little thing called love/Makes me feel I can change him ..."
Band, lead singer and pair of harmony singers were in sync, the music rising in volume as the song went on and Anderson in turn gradually letting the power of her voice show, getting in some grit on one go round of Sister Blue.
"Help me help Sister Blue," Anderson ended, holding the last word and chuckling as the applause went up.
CRIES FOR MORE
She gave credit to producer Stephen McGregor for the next song, which she said was one of her favourites on the album, singing "I am what you make me/when I am crying it is because of your lies." Anderson described the album as "a fusion of jazz, R&B, a little rock" and the approach was to "fuse them all with an overtone of reggae". "We have a Latin flavour on it," Anderson said, doing Rainbow World. She showed she had the moves to go with the song, at one point turning sideways to keep an eye on the members of Gumption, while moving to the beat, with occasional cries of 'yah!' and 'whoo!'
Toni Anderson ended the abbreviated concert with a revved up version of Aretha Franklin's Respect, asking the women to join in and declaring "it is lady time". She planted her legs a bit past shoulder width as she started to sing-spell "r-e-s-p-e-c-t."
At least, she tried to end, but there were cries for more, one lady from a particularly enthusiastic trio at front and centre holding up a copy of the album and shouting "Numba 15! Numba 15! She know which one!"
Anderson returned to deliver an unrehearsed rendition of At Last, getting the unchilled water she requested and taking a sip just before singing the first line. She sang with the bottle dangled beside an outthrust right hip, cheers going up as she held a "last" that lasted and lasted and lasted - and lasted. And still someone from the audience demanded "yu done?"
"You have been an atypical beautiful Jamaican audience," the night's chief explainer said. "Thank you ladies and gentlemen."
