Bursting onto the stage at Limelight with his version of Stevie Wonder’s “Superstitious” was how Hal Linton started his joint at the Cavans Lane hotspot over the weekend.
H
e also delivered his debut hit “Cardiac Arrest” and a good few other hits, he even dabbled in reggae and sang some Capleton, and over the course of the night, I realised his music never really strayed from basic tenets of Christianity and in fact most other religions… Monogamy, faith in your perspective and the courage to back your convictions. I am not the only person who sees it that way, check the comments on Hal’s MySpace page and you will see many similar remarks from his show at Limelight!
So why would the Flame Awards limit his eligibility for competing in differing categories – because he did not say Jesus every ten seconds or demand you worship God every five? The songs touted Hal’s beliefs, he just chose everyday circumstances to display them, is that not what Jesus did in the Bible? Take what were ordinary references for His day and use them to convey His beliefs to the People? Oh, wait a minute, He was crucified for that – so maybe Flame Organisers want to see what it’s like to be modern-day Pharisees and Sadducees!
Hal it seems has a forthcoming album, and from it he let go two tracks – “Choose Life” and “Press Play“… In the first he was expressing concern for what he saw happening on International News; it just seems like the world wants to commit suicide but everyone needs to choose – aw, you get the point!
“Press Play” is a tune for guys for when they don’t know what to say when they finally meet the girl of their dreams – he got the idea when he ran out of things to say… Ooh, he has a girlfriend, is that against Christian tenets? Only if he had sex with her before marriage, and he can’t even be faulted for that – look at track-star Obadele, another Bajan Christian, guess he stopped being worthy of God when he and Marion Jones had relations before they got betrothed! How perfect is any human? Do you recall Sting’s “Mad About You“? That was about the founder of Bethlehem – The King Of Israel, and specifically, 
David’s lust for Bathsheba and sending her hubby Uriah into battle so he could have her legitimately widowed so then King David could claim her… We are all imperfect and should never strive to play as though we are above or below another – we travel TOGETHER this bumpy ride called Life! Flame Awards, take note!
Anyhow, Hal is a great showman, very interactive with the packed and intimate crowd (which was full of gorgeous gals) and he is so natural at it that when I read his bio on his MySpace page then I realised why –
Hardly had Barbadian R&B/Soul recording artist Hal Linton released his independent debut album Spirit:Life:Love, when he found himself accepting four of the most coveted awards at the 2007 Barbados Music Awards. Dominating in the categories of Song of the Year, Best New Artist, Songwriter of the Year, and R&B Song of the Year, the smooth, jazzy, rhythmic soulfulness of 23 year old Hal Linton has added another dimension to the new generation of music and entertainment.
Literally born into a world of music, both his parents are classically trained musicians whose passion saw Hal Linton constantly immersed in a heady musical cocktail of Nat King Cole and Al Green blended with bits of reggae dancehall legend Bob Marley and stirred with The 3 Tenors and countless other great artists. “My parents listened to everything“, says Hal. This was just the start for the young artist, as it was whilst developing his other talents in Design and Production that an undeniable music bug bit him, “and hard too“, he says. It was during a student internship that he had the pleasure to spend most of his time writing and arranging for other artist across the Caribbean and Europe.
With a little encouragement, a pen, paper and guitar in hand, he soon began an incredible journey.
Hal has another show planned for the day after Valentine’s at Sherbourne Centre. “Love & Music” with Janelle Headley. There are only a certain amount of limited tickets available at a discounted rate before there are only the VIP tickets left! Move fast!
And before I go, a quick concern – Ppl who went to hear Hal at Limelight almost wondered if they were doctors as they had so much patience – the flyer said doors open from 9:00 pm and nothing happened ’til nearly 11:00!
No explanation was given either, why?
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