NIGEL CAMPBELL
Destra Garcia, in front of a sold-out Winifred Atwell Auditorium of the Queen’s Hall, St Ann's, proved her worth as more than simply an iconic soca artist, but a sublime vocalist who easily ascended to the top of the list of singers, in any genre, from this country.
Her concert, Destra: Reflections, was a showcase for another side of the self-proclaimed Queen of Bacchanal (QoB). On April 12, she delivered a vocal masterclass and succeeded in diversifying her 25-year-plus recording career out of the circumscribed Carnival music silo and in so doing, added layers of recognition that has only been hinted at previously.
The dynamic flexibility and broad range of her vocal instrument was put to the test for two hours over 18 songs that covered contemporary urban gospel ballads, Christian praise-and-worship songs, hymns and Sankeys (short Spiritual Baptist choruses).
On a striking stage designed by creative director Brian Mc Farlane, that expanded the audience’s perspective above and beyond the traditional proscenium stage layout, Destra, in a flowing white gown, reminiscent of a wedding dress, strode down the curved ramp to deliver Whitney Houston’s I Look To You as an opener. In fine voice, this set up the expectation of a programme set to deliver powerhouse evocations of faith and spirit.
Destra admitted at the beginning to nervousness as she was aware that this was a leap of faith pivoting away from her ingrained and popular QoB and Lucy images. Her opting out of the 2025 Carnival music season was both a sign of her recognition that something new had to happen in her career, and that despite her inclusion of a gospel song on her first album – Red, White, Black (2003) – many people were unaware of her faith and inner spirituality.
The “nervous energy” was effectively radiated in a set list of impressive covers of songs by the likes of gospel music superstars Yolanda Adams, Open My Heart; Helen Baylor, Sea of Forgetfulness and More than A Friend; Sinach, I Know Who I Am; CeCe Winans, Goodness of God; Tasha Cobbs, Break Every Chain; and Andrae Crouch, My Tribute (To God Be The Glory). The inspirational songs of Tamela Mann, God Provides, and JoAnn Rosario, More, More More were also covered.
The production value associated with this concert was high. The aforementioned stage design incorporated the balcony wings of the hall as extensions for the movement of One Love Choir to optimum effect, the use of a projection screen as a backdrop transformed the space into moving visual metaphors for mountains to be climbed and the forgiving seas, and created impressive vistas of Calvary Hill and a stained-glass cathedral, almost sanctifying the theatre.
Video interludes featuring her Destra Garcia Foundation's charitable work, her accolades and awards over her career beyond these shore, and her father testifying to her faith and upbringing in a religious home – her parents are an ordained reverend and deaconess in the Spiritual Baptist church – tied the whole production into a seamless treat for the
