Malachi Smith coming through the Middle Passage

ONE of the most strident voices of the spoken word, Malachi Smith, will be the feature act at the Poetry Society of Jamaica (PSOJ) monthly fellowship tomorrow at the School of Drama, Edna Manley College for the Visual and Performing Arts.

The 2003 Reggae Soca Awards Dub Poet of the Year will formally introduce his third CD, Middle Passage, which has been getting rave reviews in Miami, Florida where it was officially launched a month ago.

"In Middle Passage, Malachi has created a work that grapples with issues that range from global concerns about war to individual anxieties of love. Middle Passage reveals the best that Reggae has to offer: the erotic charms of Jungle Fever, prophetic warnings of Pocomania Politcs and the social concerns of Blue Morning. And all in one CD," one review stated.

The son of a preacher man, Malachi gegan performing at a tender age, and recorded his first poem Kimbo to Kimbo in 1979. His other CDs are Blacker the Berry -The Sweeter The Cherry and Throw Two Punch.

A retired member of the Jamaica Constabulary Force at the rank of detective corporal, the torrid wordsmith who is presently based in Miami, also recorded such biting social commentaries as topical as Police Brutality, Drop It, I'm A Victim, and Oonu Nuh Care.

In his poetry, Smith also pays tribute to a number of his favourite Jamaican personalities like his ode to Professor Carl Stone, the late columnist / pollster. The tribute to Stone is entitled Call Stone.

Then there are Peter Wailer, Ads, and Psalm of Silk in homage to Peter Tosh, Bob Marley, and Garnet Silk respectively.

Middle Passage features 19 tracks offering social and political commentaries.

SOURCE: Jamaica Observer