Four-time Festival Song Contest winner Roy Rayon has given this year’s entries the thumbs up. Rayon, who was special guest at the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission’s Festival Song roadshow in Spanish Town at Munumar Square last Saturday, is impressed with the 2019 entries.

“This year’s songs are not bad, if they get exposure they can do particularly well,” said the veteran singer, who celebrates 40 years in the music business this year.

“The Festival Song is basically the soundtrack around which everything is done in terms of celebration and it should be simply catchy, a song that everybody, young and old, can relate to.”

Rayon, who won the contest in 1985 ( Love Fever), 1987 (Give Thanks And Praises), 1991 ( Come Rock) and 2008 ( Rise And Shine), does not rule out entering again.

“That’s not the focus now, but all things are possible, depending on the time and the circumstance. If it come, it come,” he said.

The well-attended event was energised by the 11 finalists and Rayon, who closed the show.

Contestants performed twice — first, a song of their choice followed by their entry.

They are: Nickoy Green (aka Shawn D) who performed his entry Sweet Jamaica; Nester Chung

(aka Humility) with Battlefield, Edwin Myers ( Piece A Jamaica), Alero Perrier (aka Alley Bless) with Queen Jamaica, Jason Wright (aka Iya Concord) with Hero Fight, Meckedah Henry (aka Mekada) who did Love For Jamaica, Jerome Smith (aka Jerome) who performed Appointment, Escarpment Road New Testament Church of God (NTCOG) with Jamaica Bless, Percival Lord (aka Dharma) with A Jamaica We Love, Raldene Dyer (aka Loaded Eagle) with Big Up Jamaica, and Vernon Smith (aka Ramize) with Jamaica Fi Life.

Attendees of the free event got an extra thrill with the appearance of deejay Shane O and Chi Ching Ching who declared, “We a try fi mek di world happy, a wi mission dat.”

The popular deejay/dancer rallied the crowd with snappy songs and moves. He did Way Up and Rock Di World, before stepping things up a notch by engaging a police officer to do his dance, Rope.

It was left to Rayon, who celebrated his 60th birthday recently, to put the lid on proceedings. That he did in fine style by not only performing his Festival winners, but also Eric Donaldson’s 1971 winner Cherry Oh Baby, and Jamaican classics such as Bob Andy’s Too Experienced, and Freddie McKay’s Picture On The Wall.

The final of the Festival Song Competition will be on July 27, at Ranny Williams Entertainment Centre in St Andrew.