#XMAS JAMMIES - Merry Christmas from the Holderness Family!

Tessanne Chin, you are "The Voice"

Tonight is “The Voice” finals and, many Jamaicans, Caribbean folks and people all over the world will be glued to their television sets to see who will be this year’s winner. The winner will walk away with the million dollar record deal. As you, all know my money and, votes are on my Jamaican girl, Tessanne Chin.

For the third week in a row, the songs Tessanne covered have reached #1 on the iTunes Charts. Last night after the competition a survey was done by NBC 6 in South Florida and, saw Tessanne winning “The Voice” with 88% of the votes, Jackie got 9% and Will, a mere 3%. Other polls also favor Tessanne.

Is this a clear indication that Tessanne Chin, the powerhouse vocalist out of Kingston, Jamaica will be “The New Voice”? I guess we will all have to wait and see. I know some of use (including myself) will be waiting on pins and needles. However, as an authority figure in the music/entertainment industry, I think Tessanne Chin has out done herself and, last night’s song choice (I Have Nothing – Whitney Houston) is another proof that she is clearly the better vocalist. If Whitney was a live she would have been so proud of Tessanne last night after that performance, but I am sure her spirit is.

As Tessanne said, “mash it up big time”, which means she is going to give it her best and, her best she did.

For all those artists (including Lady Gaga and Jennifer Houston) who hating on Tessanne, the pie is big enough for Tessanne to get her piece. What more can she do? To prove to the world, that she is the best. She has conquered every challenge.

Thanks to Shaggy for giving her the encouragement to enter this competition. Tessanne you have shown Jamaica and the world how talented and versatile you are. I expect great things from you… You are The Voice.

The Jamaican Powerhouse Vocalist

As you all may know by now I am a Jamerican (Jamaican/American) based on most of my writings. Jamaican is a country with a rich musical heritage; as such we have seen many talents emerge from this small island nation. Jamaica is filled with many talented artists, much of who will never get heard. This is due to the socioeconomic state of the country. Tessanne Chin is one of they many artists that do not fall in this category and we are blessed to have her represent Jamaica, the way she is doing now. Yet many Jamaican, (at home and abroad) and the world have never heard of Tessanne Chin before her audition on NBC’s singing competition, ‘The Voice,’ this past September.

I personally have known about Tessanne Chin since 2007, one of my favorite tracks from her is the hit single, ‘Hide Away.’ The Voice has given Tessanne the platform to show Jamaican and the World how talented she is. At present Tessanne is in the top five of The Voice’s Season 5, and that’s a good spot to be in. From here she can only continue to grow as a vocalist, with or without ‘The Voice.’

She is often referred to as the ‘Jamaican Powerhouse Vocalist’ of which she is. It’s not often in the music industry that an artist is referred to as a vocalist, so kudos to Tessanne. My hope is that Tessanne will win this competition, and if you think I am bias because I am a Jamaican too, then you are so right.

The two songs that Tessanne performed last week, which will help her win this competition, and which are currently on the iTunes Reggae Top 100 charts are ‘Redemption Song’, at #1 and ‘Underneath It All’, at #5. This maybe a clear indication that Tessanne is poised to go all the way. Bear in mind that this will also give Team Adam his first win in the competition, which is in its fifth year. The Maroon5 lead singer is in a good position right now with Team Adam having three of the five remaining competitors left in the competition. However, my vote is on my “Jamaican powerhouse vocalist”, Tessanne Chin.

Grace Jamaican Jerk Festival- South Florida 2013

November 10^th 2013 saw the 12th installment of the Grace Jamaican Jerk Festival- South Florida. This year was of great significance as the event had a week of activities beginning with the “Hot Trot Jerk 5KRun/Walk culminating with the family fund day and concert series. I also had the opportunity of viewing the festival from a media perspective.

 

Jerk Fest Main Stage
Photo by: Carl Gordon
Reggae Illustrated 

The main stage had an impressive lineup, which included Jamaica’s top show band, Fab 5 band out of Kingston Jamaican, Jamaica songstress Etana, Veteran dancehall artist “Mr. Buddy Bye”, Johnny Osborne and the royal family of reggae Morgan Heritage. Despite facing some technical difficulties Fab 5 gave a memorable performance and brought dancehall artist Khago on stage to do his version of the monster hit single “Nah Sell Out ” which was well received by the crowd of over 20,000 patrons jamming in Markham Park. Jamaican Gleaner article, “ Morgan Heritage also gave a phenomenal performance as they took to the stage to close the night with a number of their well known songs.”

Etana
Photo by Carl Gordon
Reggae Illustrated

Etana would rock the crowd for over 40 minutes, with hits like “I Am Not Afraid, “wrong Address”, and “Warrior Love.” Johnny Osborn gave a decent performance, but was better received by the older folks in the crowd. I did not to see Morgan Heritage perform as I left the park close to the end of Etana’s performance. However according to a

Eddy Edwards
Photo by: Carl Gordon
Reggae Illustrated

Speaking at the press reception, Eddy Edwards JamaicanJerk Festival franchise noted that there are plans to bright the festival to Washington DC next year. This past July was the third staging of the festival in Queens, New York and there are plans to expand the series to other areas of the United States. Social media and digital marketing play a pivotal in this year staging of the “Jerk Fest” (as it is some time called) as Facebook and Twitter were utilized to get the message out.