LIVE SHOW
Review
Sweep Over My Soul
Luciano
w/Dean Frazer and
Jah Messenger Band
Jah Words Tour June 14th, 2005,
Fox Theatre,
Boulder, Colorado
Reviewed by Larry Leiber for
the Reggae Movement
Pictures of Show
by JBella Studios
“Imagine living in a
world, where there is no war. Imagine living in a world where everyone
knows what they are living for,”
Luciano
sang to the packed house at
The Fox Theatre
in Boulder, Colorado this past Tuesday night for his Jah Words Tour.
Jah Words,
Luciano’s
latest album, is yet another triumph for Jah Messenger as he continues
to improve and refine his message, and his latest tour proved to be
nothing less exceptional.
For
Luciano,
he knows exactly what he is living for, and indeed he is doing exactly
what he is intended to do; to entertain, educate and touch
everyone spiritually through his reggae message. Smooth, suave,
confident, and thoroughly captivating,
Luciano
on stage is a display of calm assurance of what is good in this world,
and for the hour and a half that he had the audience in his grasp, he
creates the true ability to place all worries aside and to listen to
what he has to say.
It is refreshing to
see someone enjoy their profession as much as
Luciano,
and in fact one would see it as a way
of life rather than a job. As he
said in a recent interview
with The Reggae
Movement, “Well going on tour, I get to meet my fans. I gotta lot
of fans, and coming out and seeing them is a great joy. I love seeing
the audience and coming out on stage and “busting” the place up. I love
it man. Its my greatest joy right now. If you take that away from me
right now I’d be very sad, ya know.”
(Check out Conversations with
Luciano, Interview with Dean
Fraser)
This
joy is clearly apparent as
Luciano
moves along stage, his boyish
and
charming smile soothing and calming, thanking everyone for coming.
The repeated thanks that
Luciano
displays, undoubtedly genuine but a bit profusely at times, and the joy
which emanates from the stage is infectious, and vociferously
reciprocated from his dedicated fans.
With
his voice spiritual, smooth and uplifting,
Luciano
brings an artillery of spirituality which he has been stockpiling for
the past 13 years. From the slowly winding “Sweep Over My Soul,” to his
inspiring dedications “It’s me again, Jah”
and
“Lord Give me Strength,” Luciano
brings an admirable humbleness through his message of peace, love and
unity, and his performance, dedicate to his fans in honor of Jah, is no
less inspiring.
Jah
Words Tour is intended to showcase
Luciano’s
latest album, “Jah Words”
on the Sanctuary
label. In “Knockin’ on Heaven's Door,” one track from
Jah Words
as well as “Is It Rolling Bob? A reggae
Tribute to Bob Dylan,”
Luciano
gives an incredibly spirited and inspiring version of the Bob Dylan
classic, and a reward for anyone present. “Look Deep Within,” also off
Jah Words,
integrated seamlessly within his plethora of hits from the past decade
of production.
Easily
a hit with most reggae crowds, “Legalize It” is a splendid
interpretation, as well as dedication to the living spirit of
Peter Tosh.
“Who Could it Be?” and “Your World and Mine,” just to name a
couple more of his set, leaves a lasting imprints within the musical
soul and reminds the crowd once again just who it is that is driving his
actions.
As
powerful, humble and gracious a performance as
Luciano
can give, Dean Fraser provides an amazing instrumental compliment. Dean
Fraser, an undisputed legend in his own right, provides the soulful and
smooth melodies from his saxophone collection. Opening up the act with
an emotional rendition of “Redemption Song” by sax, Dean
Fraser laid down the groundwork for the rest of the evening.
Dean
Fraser and
Luciano
together form a formidable alliance on stage, each demanding respect and
admiration for their devotion and talent in a genre which often goes
unnoticed in the musical mainstream. This alliance was able to minimize
the complacent tendencies of the Jah Messenger Band, which as tight and
entertaining as it was most of the night, seemed relaxed on too many
occasions.
Overall, the combination of
Luciano,
Jah Messenger Band, and the subtle yet ever-present Dean Fraser,
provides an amazingly calming, yet inspiring, experience. Luciano’s
joy at having the opportunity to do what he does is a refreshing
humbleness upon which many people in this world could learn
a
lesson.
