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Music: The Temptations pack the house at Hot Tin Roof
September 1, 2005
By James W.B. Burrows
Sizzla communes with his adoring audience at the Hot Tin Roof last week.
Photos by Diana Waring
Sizzla up close, in person.
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The Hot Tin Roof was hopping Thursday, August 25 when Sizzla, one of today’s hottest Jamaican dancehall reggae acts, gave his first-ever Vineyard performance. Sizzla’s appearance came exactly two weeks after Barrington Levy sang at the Roof, continuing a long-standing appetite for reggae music among Island audiences. Illustrated by the turnout and atmosphere, Sizzla’s concert was the newest reggae success story.
Sizzla was born in 1976 as Miguel Collins in August Town, Jamaica, to Rastafarian parents. Growing up in the 1980s in a country renowned for its musical culture, Collins watched dancehall reggae take over the Jamaican music scene and spread across the world. Collins’s exposure to this reggae consciousness, coupled with his Rastafarian roots, turned him toward a sect of militant Rastafarians, the Bobo Ashanti. The Bobo Ashanti believe in repatriation to Africa, the abolishment of modern day slavery forced upon them by the Western world or “Babylon,” and the spiritual power of ganja.
At the same time, Collins, now Sizzla, was also seeking his musical identity. Taking his Bobo Ashanti beliefs, he put them into music. From a start at Caveman Hi Fi, he then recorded for the Zagalou label. He put out a number of singles with Bobby “Digital” Dixon, then took a big step toward the spotlight by joining and touring with an already famous reggae artist, Luciano.
In 1996 Homer Harris, also Buju Banton’s discoverer, introduced Sizzla to Philip “Fatis” Burrell’s thriving modern roots label, Xterminator. His union with Fatis led to Sizzla’s first two albums: “Burning Up” and “Praise Ye Jah.”
Sizzla’s 1997 album release, “Black Woman and Child,” took him from fame within the Jamaican and reggae community and propelled him into the mainstream. Recognition came in the form of a nomination for Best International Reggae artist at the MOBO Awards in 1998 and again in 1999. Since then he has followed up with a lineage of successful albums including “Kalonji,” “Royal Son of Ethiopia,” “Rastafari Teach I Everything,” “Ghetto Revolution,” and his most recent work, “Soul Deep.”
It comes as no surprise then that Sizzla’s appearance at the Roof brought a tide of excitement to the Vineyard. The dance floor and outdoor area overflowed with a primarily young crowd, many of whom were Islanders. A strong contingent of Jamaican Vineyarders, visitors, and enthusiasts also showed up, two of these groups waving Jamaican flags in tune to the dancehall beats.
From the first notes of his opening song, “Praise Ye Jah,” Sizzla commanded the crowd with strong dancehall rhythms and vocals. Often, his delivery came in forceful, gravelly staccato bursts, yet at other times he countered this with softer melodic intonations. This dichotomy was best illustrated by the dancing. Sometimes the dancers bounced energetically, holding lighters over their heads, and chanting reggae’s gunshots “buck, buck.” At other moments, interlocked couples swayed slowly.
Attracting Sizzla to the Island meant presenting one of reggae’s biggest stars while he is still in his musical prime. Fortunately, he lived up to the hype, while the Roof’s history of promoting quality acts grew stronger. Hopefully, this trend will continue, and Sizzla will return to the Island next year.
James W. B. Burrows is a freelance writer who lives in Vineyard Haven and New York City.
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