by Curlan Campbell
- Live band performance utilised headphones for listening
- 12 songs paid homage to Grenada’s rich oral tradition of storytelling
- Performance described as experimental, multisensory, musical experience
The media preview of Sabrina Francis’ “Meet Me at the Mango Tree” can be described as an experimental, multisensory, musical experience that marries music, theatrical play and visual art in an awe-inspiring location in the hills of Mt Agnes, St David.
Sabrina’s Treehouse appears in a secluded spot after a seemingly endless drive up a winding dirt road past country houses and farmland. The Treehouse Band includes composer and keyboardist Dieter Burkhalter, background vocalist and percussionist Laura Lisa Richardson, guitarist Alesia Aird, flautist Amorelle Browne, and drummers Godson Browne and Keane Jules.
On the evening of Friday, 19 January, after the audience donned headphones, Sabrina quietly entered, performed her first new single, “Lullaby” and then took the audience on a deeply emotional journey down memory lane, with 12 songs from her discography, paying homage to Grenada’s rich oral tradition of storytelling. She expressed elements of everyday life growing up in Grenada through songs like “Broken Promise,” “I’m Gonna Be Famous,” and “If It’s For You, It’s For You.” Immersive visuals, ambient sounds and lights controlled by light engineer Jana Caniga helped beautifully capture Grenadian cultural nostalgia and added another layer of complexity to the sensory experience. The harmonised vocals of Sabrina and Laura Lisa singing “Just Like You” brought the curtains down on the 1-hour performance, which was met with enthusiastic applause from the audience. In the world of live performances, one question emerges: can a concert transcend mere music?
Every sound in Sabrina’s performance was captured and recorded, with storytelling elements woven throughout the concert. “This story is not an autobiography. I wanted it to feel like a Grenadian story. There are certain elements in there. I hope that a lot of people can relate to,” she said. “It’s not necessarily a Sabrina Francis story, but there are parts that I could relate to, and I feel like Grenadians could relate to some of those experiences as well.”
Dieter explained his decision to curate a live band performance that utilised headphones for listening. “Using headphones has its benefits. The volume control is in your hands, but when it comes to the loudspeaker, the sound engineer sets it, leading to a dilemma as some people prefer it loud and others prefer it low. Furthermore, the presence of a microphone on stage leads to a problem of speaker bleed, causing the sound to become distorted and unclear in both the microphone and stage monitors. Using headphones eliminates sound leakage and greatly enhances sound production,” Dieter explained.
Sabrina’s performance left Teddy Frederick, a Grenadian artist, photographer, and videographer, in awe of the level of artistic detail. “Sabrina took it to a place where this is more of like a musical journal. It’s kind of like our own personal convictions inside of her music. And that’s authentic,” he said, advising those planning to witness this live performance to “be open-minded.”
Indeed, Sabrina’s performance gives new meaning to the phrase “music to my ears” and couldn’t come at a better time as Grenada prepares to celebrate its golden jubilee, marking 50 years of independence. This level of unchartered territory of musical creativity will certainly be repeated on 9 February 2024, this time for members of the public.
