by DONNA SEALY
CIBC Mahalia’s Corner at Christmas was everything a show at this time of the year should be – good music, togetherness, lots of cheer and a festive atmosphere with themed décor.
Despite starting 45 minutes after the advertised 8 p.m. time – due to the decision to ensure all patrons were inside the room at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre before they began on Sunday – 2 Mile Hill delivered a show that epitomised the holiday season, in keeping with what they gave in the past.
Heavy on some seasonal favourite hymns and songs, the first of two Christmas shows wrapped patrons in its warmth, stirring up memories of Christmas Day with family, 5 a.m. services, parading in Queen’s Park and bountiful buffets that followed.
Even though some people might have been grappling with the loss of their loved ones at this time, it felt good to be around others and enjoy the show, albeit for a few hours.
After issuing an apology for the protracted start, the band’s lead singer, Mahalia, after whom the show is named, started with a ditty – Let We Go sung to the tune of Let It Snow – to get the vibes going before singing We Don’t Have Snow, recorded under their previous name, NexCyx.
A section of the large audience enjoying the Christmas offerings at Mahalia’s Corner. (Picture by Jameel Springer)
Overall, while all the performers did well, there were some who stood out.
The first was Nikita’s rendition of Who Would Imagine A King. She delivered it with reverence, as if she’d written it herself.
The second was Israel J. Allen and his sister Nadine James’ poignant rendition of Silent Night. There should be a repeat of this duet that took the audience to church and possibly made believers out of non-believers. It was fantastic!
The featured artiste’s solo renditions of Donny Hathaway’s This Christmas and What Child Is This? with a different arrangement were both great but he and James should consider recording Silent Night. She told the Daily Nation after the show that she doesn’t usually sing, but when she does, it is with her brother.
The third highlight of the show was 2 Mile Hill’s performance of Mary, Did You Know? for which backing vocalists Naressa Lynch and Shekara Straker, bassist Kris Clarke and keyboardist Machaio Carter joined Mahalia centre stage.
Think of the group Pentatonix and their version, then scale that up and you’ll get the picture of this group’s vocal harmonies, vocal percussion and beatboxing that went into the performance. They too should consider recording this and their rendition of Kirk Franklin’s Silver And Gold, which they performed at their third September show.
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