MEL COOKE, Freelance Writer
Twin of Twins performing at their album launch and after party, held at Backyaad, Constant Spring Road on Thursday. - WINSTON SILL
THERE WAS AN unusual calm at Backyaad on Constant Spring Road, St. Andrew, on Thursday night.
For an extended period there was attentive silence (or at most a low hum) at the entertainment venue, normally a beehive of chatter and laughter, as a substantial audience listened to the official premiere of the Twins of Twins' Stir It Up, Vol. Sicks, laughter rising as various points sank home.
It was clear from the start of the album, which the audience was informed that at 77 minutes is as long as is possible to put on a CD, that the Twins, Curly and Tu Loxx, had put several accents into their vocal impersonations on Volume Sicks.
The British accent of local television journalist Michael Pryce started it out with "Is the microphone on? I am not hearing myself."
Very soon there was the U.S.A. (Upper St. Andrew) accent of 'Ms. McCloud'. Somewhere in the middle there was the peculiar 'Jamaican foreign' accent of deejay Mr. Lexx, then the Texas drawl of George Bush, the voices of American rappers Tupac Shacur and Biggie Smalls coming in over the 'Zionly phone line' coming up to the end.
In between there were the distinctly Jamaican voices of Beenie Man, Yellowman, Elephant Man, Bogle, Buju Banton, Bounty Killer and Mutabaruka, songs from the Twins being placed at various points in the dialogue on a CD for which the 'Explicit Lyrics' warning was well warranted.
The launch was done in somewhat informal style, with music being played for an extended period well beyond the slated 7:00 p.m. start. When Volume Sicks started rolling, the dancing and chatter stopped and many gathered under the covered area near the bar at Backyaad to get a closer listen.
And there was a lot to listen to, 'Mr. Muta' waxing warm as he explained the origins of what is currently known as Christianity to Ms. McCloud ("So dem kill de leada an hijack de movement") and Bob Marley giving his take on the notion of moving his body from Nine Miles, St. Ann ("If I never move to Ethiopia in life, I don't want to go dere in death").
The first song was a combination with Damian 'Jr. Gong' Marley, the Twins dropping the line "a nuff a dem we poison/cause we know dem wanga" to good effect.
Yellowman and Beenie argued over who was the king of the dancehall, Yellowman saying "a my jawbone mek dancehall. If yu waan pass me, yu haffi gi two," the Twins then putting a lyrical heat on gunmen who "dunce kill pickney an' a do Willie Bounce".
Bounty addressed Mr. Lex as "famous mout'" to the extreme delight of the listeners and Muta quizzed George Bush about the state of America ("How long yu tink it did a go tek de worl' fi notice dere is no black in de White House?"). 'Shelly' accused Elephant Man of not taking care of his child, Mr. Shizzle denying that it was his with "de yute no ave nutten fi me. Me wait ow long an me no see no yellow hair."
There was a gust of laughter at Backyaad.
The Twins spoke briefly before the launch returned to recorded music, ahead of the much later scheduled live performances of Bounty Killer and others.
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