LeAndra delivers

GARY CARDINEZ

DESPITE the dark gloomy weather, four young singers and three gifted musicians brought a ray of sunshine into the hearts of many who braved the conditions to hear them on Saturday evening at Kaiso Blues Cafe in Port of Spain.

LeAndra Head along with her sister Tylah and two friends, Maya Guerra and Tehilla Jones, performed in LeAndra Live the first full concert by the singer.

LeAndra Live was in the making since she graduated from the University of Trinidad and Tobago two years ago. Everywhere she performed people requested that she do her own show.

Saturday evening was the culmination of all the requests and the fulfilment of her dream as LeAndra worked with her musical director Janine Ruiz (keyboards), Shaquille Noel (drums) and Rodney Alexander (bass).

As if to say this concert had to happen, the singer started her set with Michael Jackson’s I Can’t Help It and then thanked the master with Hal Davis and Burt Bacharach’s Say A Little Prayer.

All the young people in the audience joined in the chorus as LeAndra sang Chronixx’s I Can and they continued as she did Jill Scott’s Long Walk. The singer got a standing ovation and loud applause for her delivery of that song.

When Ruiz started the music for the next song very few people in the audience knew the song , it was not until the soprano hit a familiar line did they applause. The band’s version of Nailah Blackman’s hit Iron Love was well received. That version showed the dexterity of the musicians as well as the singer's ability to take on a soca song. LeAndra did Hiatus Kaiyote’s Molasses and that brought some calm to the cafe.

She thanked the audience for its support before she brought on Gabby Alleyne and her sister Tylah to perform A Soft Play with her.

Buju Banton’s Untold Stories had the audience singing word for word with LeAndra and she received another thunderous round of applause. As if to say thank you in song LeAndra came up with Michael Jackson’s Human Nature and again the cafe was a big chorus.

Her take on the songs proved she can play any genre of music with her voice. The singer closed off her session with Kes The Band’s Savannah Grass and had Kaiso Blues hot.

Before LeAndra’s performance MC Errol Fabien brought on stage Maya Guerra who performed The Way, Tehilla Jones who did Green and Tylah who performed her own composition Misery.

These three singers were the official chorus for LeAndra and together they created great harmonies throughout the show.

In the end patrons were calling for more some even suggesting a repeat of LeAndra Live.