Bob Marley Earthday Celebrations

Anthony B lights up Bob Marley birthday show

Friday, February 09, 2007 Jamaican Observer

Damion 'Junior Gong' Marley performs on stage with his brother Stephen Marley.

Kingston, Jamaica - The Get Up, Stand Up celebration of the birth of reggae icon Robert Nesta Marley held on Tuesday at the Ranny Williams Entertainment Centre was blessed by an amazing and energised performance from Anthony B. A peaceful evening of homage to one of the world's greatest saw crowd-pleasing performances from Junior X and the powerfully eloquent Etana.

The international artiste took the audience on a musical journey with his hits Raid The Barn and Life Over Death, which had the enormous crowd raising banners, lighters and singing word-for-word in unison. The singer immediately created a sweet vibe spanning the crowded venue. His most powerful number, the sombre Mr Heartless, from his Seven Seals album, gained resounding cheers and clapping.

The revolutionary artiste known for his controversial topics was the only artiste of the evening to have an extended set (apart from Stephen Marley, who was joined by brothers Julian, Kymani and Damian). With the audience chanting for his return, he concluded with the light-hearted Mr Controversy off his new Tads' International album, Suffering Man.

Hailing the greats of our black history like Marcus Garvey, Nelson Mandela and Malcolm X, the singer-deejay made a plea with the audience to join the fight against crime plaguing the society. Anthony B's ability to connect with the audience demonstrated both his experience and ease of an international reggae superstar.

Although Suffering Man was released in August 2006, he is already working on his next album, Life Over Death, slated to drop in June of this year. With collaborations with Lauren Hill, Wyclef Jean and Akon, Life Over Death is an eclectic blend of musical styles. Although this album reflects both his versatility and his evolution through reggae music, he remains true to Rasta.

With Anthony B being one of reggae's talented and influential artistes of our time, this album is destined to elevate the Bobo to the next level of success.

Anthony B took the audience on a musical journey.

Stephen Marley pleased the crowd with his rendition of Soul Rebel, but heated up when he delivered his hit combination with younger brother Damian, Traffic Jam. This single is off his upcoming solo album, Mind Control, to be released on March 20. The temperature rose even higher when Capleton joined the stage to do It Was Written alongside Stephen and Damian. The Marley segment concluded with the anthem-like Welcome To Jamrock.

Overall, the female artistes held their own with solid performances from Queen Ifrica and sexy songstress Cherine, who delivered a sultry performance that was heightened when Chuck Fenda joined her on stage to do the number one hit on Richie B's HOT 102 chart, Coming Over.