The great Leonard Cohen (still going strong at 81) might well be bemused - or even amused - at the way his classic of cynicism, sexual posturing and resignation, "Hallelujah" has been transformed into a mighty spiritual anthem, especially by Jamaicans weaned on its exposure through the movie "Shrek" (and many other Hollywood presentations) and also through countless performances by "American Idol" and "The Voice ' hopefuls.
And so it was that Jamaican "veteran" Lukie D (best known as one-fourth pf the vocal group LUST) added to the song's legend with a typically spirited - and taken as spirit-filled - reading of the song for a hugely appreciative audience at the Pegasus this past Sunday.
The singer's appearance was part of a cavalcade of (mostly) male singers called upon by Gem mYers as part of what is now a highly anticipated annual showcase. With them embers of Fab 5 surrounding her, and with Lymie Murray, Tony Rebel, Bagga Case, Roy Rayon and the aforementioned Lukie D on the roster, the impish Myers, who preceded each guest on stage, could well be forgiven for starting with the Weather Girls' 1982 disco smash, "Its Raining Men".
And Murray- admirably - took the "rain" purple with a slick yet robust cover of the late Prince's "The Most Beautiful Girl In the World" even leaping off the stage to pick a damsel out of the audience the he deemed worthy of the title line.
Family emergency kept us from enjoying the show i n entirety, but the capacity audience (which grew steadily) no doubt got their money's worth and had more than enough reason to shout "Hallelujah!"
