Hip hopper Akon seems to have an affinity for fences. perhaps it's because of his criminal past.

But whatever the reason, the man who professes to be "once a thief" - on his track Sorry - is more than apt at scaling barriers and contorting his frame, much to the delight of screaming ladies during International Night one at the 16th renewal of Reggae Sumfest inside Catherine Hall Entertainment Centre, Montego Bay.

Akon delivered.

Akon entered the stage at 2:40 yesterday morning, after his accompanying kilt-wearing disc jock sought to inspire the audience with a series of popular dancehall and hip hop tunes. A masterful rendition of Shake Down - from his 2007 release Konvicted - done, Akon sampled the Beenie Man/Miss Ting duet Dude and Cham's Ghetto Story. The latter served as a segue into his own 'hood' experience, an a cappella version of Ghetto, which eventually ended with musical accompaniment. There were too, the potent club bangers Soul Survivor (recorded version featuring Young Jeezy) and Locked Up, which was preceded by a rhetoric on crime, poverty and prison. The 'gangsta' jams gave way to the sexy, bubble-gum stylings of Tami Chynn on Frozen, which features Akon.

Akon expressed pretty much what he thinks of "Jamaican girls" by way of his latest chart climber Dangerous, followed by Don't Matter, which included a calypso-esque remix.

But perhaps what elevated Akon's performance (no pun intended) was his decision to walk atop heads in an effort to get to the fence that separated VIP from the "poor people". This, his second Sumfest showing and incidentally his second fence-mounting episode (last time was three years ago when he lost his gold chain, this time he was smart enough not to wear any jewellery), made for an intriguing mix of comedy, death-defying stunts and audience-artiste interactions that will undoubtedly be one of the paramount moments of Reggae Sumfest 2008.

Keyshia Cole delivered a brilliant Give It Up To Me.

"If you grab me, I can't perform. I need to perform though, let me go," the platinum-selling artiste demanded of the patrons who held on to his trousers, or any other part of his now shirtless body.

As if that wasn't enough of a fiasco (read: he used everything around him as props) Akon jumped from the three-storey high Red Bull Tower in the middle of the venue and again walked atop heads and shoulders to get back to stage front; all the while singing Smack That, also on Konvicted, and featuring Eminem. His performance of his duets with T-Pain (also on this year's Reggae Sumfest bill) aside, Akon ended with the still-fresh collab' Dollar Bill featuring Haitian singer by way of Brooklyn, New York, Wyclef Jean.

There was no stepping off stage for R&B singer Keyshia Cole, but that isn't to say her showing was less entertaining. at least for those who went to see her.

Courtney John connected.

Cole channelled summer sexy in a tiered white halter, matching shorts and cropped black hair - a departure from her usual blonde curls, long in the front and short to the back and side.
Known for power-ballads with an urbane rough-chick edge, Cole charmed on Should Have Let You Go amidst bluesy synths, black and white-clad dancers, lights and smoke for effect.

Said to have the vocal emotiveness of Mary J Blige, Cole was 'Keyshia the vulnerable' on (I Just Want It) To Be Over and 'Keyshia the defiant' on I Should Have Cheated from her 2005 album The Way It Is.

With emotions aside, Cole delivered a brilliant Give It Up To Me, a track that features Jamaican hip-hop superstar Sean Paul for the movie soundtrack Step It Up.

Just Like You (the title track from her most recent album), Heaven Sent (her latest single) and I Remember followed. But perhaps her biggest 'forward' for the night came from the popular slow jam Love, which the audience inside the Catherine Hall Entertainment Centre sang verbatim.

"Thank you for helping me sing that. You guys sound amazing," she said, before dedicating When Doves Cry to her mum Frankie, who along with Keyshia and her sister Nefetaria are stars of the BET reality series The Way It Is.

The singer closed with the still-current Let It Go that features Lil' Kim and Missy Elliot.
Though the international acts put on a good show, their local counterparts were not outdone.

Courtney John, who channelled pilot-mode, soared over breathy ballads like When You Say and Sometimes from his Unselfish album. John had much aplomb with a kind of John-Legend-meets-Sting-meets-Dennis Brown charm that manifested in his on-stage swagger that sent the ladies swooning over the Rastaman.

But vocally, it was perhaps LUST who did the best. The four-man outfit, though not in sync at all times, proved that raw talent still exists in reggae and shone brilliantly on a cover of Air Supply's Just As I Am; the formidable Want You Back (For Good) and She's Got Me.

The righteous arm of reggae, that is Queen Ifrica, Richie Spice and Jah Cure, gave fair showings although Ifrica's set seemed more like one suited for a European festival, since she interacted very little with the audience and spent too much time on songs that were unfamiliar. Still, she proved to be a picture of Rasta's militancy, especially on her popular Daddy Don't Touch Me There, while she oozed strength, femininity and charm on Below The Waist. Of note, too, was Pressure Buss Pipe, who did a good job of preparing the audience in the early hours for the musical feast that was to come.

Though, the lengthy wait for band changes have improved since last year, Reggae Sumfest organisers have still not mastered the craft and somehow there seemed to be an all-too-concerning intermittent disconnect between the performer and his audience that puts a lull on how everything is received.

Reggae Sumfest International Night 1 ended at 5:30 am yesterday with the militant sound of Richie Spice.

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