Stan Evan Smith - Red Hot & Blazing

The Big Fire Power at Brooklyn's Elite Ark featuring the Fiyah Prophet Capleton, August Town’s most celebrated personality, Calvin "Cocoa Tea" Scott, Louie "Old Gangalee" Culture, Sizzla and a local contingent of Sluggy Ranks, Jah Batta and Bigga Haitian.

Not often does a package of this magnitude come to New York. The rest of the country usually gets this treat on the regular and Brooklyn massive turned out in a big way for the toughest roots, Rasta reggae, consciousness teaching and preaching concert.

I missed the local New York artists except for Sluggy Ranks who was placed after Sizzla. Cocoa Tea whose live performances in New York is a rare treat kept the house easy skanking with his hits "Good Life", "Sonia"," Tune In", "Rocking Dolly". But it was when he drew for the song named after New York’s most famous prison "Rikers Island" that the crowd erupted. On his encore he settled and thanked them.

Sizzla, like Capleton has been under heavy public criticism (for different reasons) as he went through his hits in bits and pieces seemed to have the audience hyped in fits. They seemed ambivalent when he got too sexually graphic. (or was it me who was uncomfortable?) Kolonji is taking a severe beating in the criticism department for what is seen by many as him trying to outslack Shabba. Many are asking how can seemingly the best Rasta, Roots, Reggae writer since Marley sound as graphic as Shabba and have a lot more on some of his songs in common with Lady Saw than his mentor Marley? His "Black Woman and Child" is no less poignant than Marley's "No Woman No Cry" or "Homeless" shades of Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man" -Ghetto Youths are homeless, who is to be blamed? Question mark is their surname- the crowd felt him, I didn't.

Sluggy Ranks made a short cameo appearance with three tunes and got a lukewarm response.

The Fiyah Man entered to thunderous applause with his broken left foot. Capleton entoned " I am coming from Washington where George Bush broke my foot because him don’t want me burn fire pon the White House, but him caan stop it". He removed the orthopedic shoe, left on his soft cast and blazed. Dress in an outfit made for a king he blazed, burned, coddled, romanced and simply entertained. Prophet held the audience spellbound and mesmerized. He demonstrated why he is the most powerfully artist to come out of Jamaica since Bob Marley.

As he reeled of his hits and new tunes he demonstrated why his versatility range and dexterity. His comfort level and confidence on the stage suggests a man at peace with his teachings. Pity his message is so narrowly focused. Unlike Sizzla who seemed at times being trite, prophet was masterfully confident, which pulls audiences to the artist. Unusual for a reggae act - most seem intent on substituting the audience participation for their lack of either charisma, talent of stage presence. The big fire blazed.