Collie Buddz – Rocks the Roxy on Sunset Strip
Review and Photos by Jan Salzman
Nov. 11, 2008 – Hollywood, CAA long line of fans waited outside the Roxy despite the rather cold and windy Southern California night. Most of the girls were scantily clad and freezing in the 40-degree temperature. It all warmed up though, as they crowded to the front of the stage awaiting the hot performance of Reggae sensation, Collie Buddz.
The 27-year-old New Orleans-born, Bermuda-raised singjay has achieved international success since the 2007 release of his self-titled CD and when awarded the 2008 Best International Artist at Kingston’s Reggae Academy Awards. He is recognized for his singing, deejaying, and writing approach; delivering conscious lyrics in a Dancehall stylee while sounding uncannily Jamaican.
The opening band for Collie Buddz on this very quick-paced west coast tour was a hip-hop band called Rise of the Revolution. Although I didn’t know any of their songs, they were great and managed to get the maximum capacity crowd really rockin’.
Collie, however, performed this night with the assistance of “DJ Pee Wee from New York,” who played tracks and added the special effects. He rocked us with some classic reggae tunes, including a Luciano track and some Bob Marley, too. He said he wanted to get the crowd set on the Collie Buddz lover’s rock, conscious vibe.
Collie came storming onstage singing “Let Me Know” off of his debut CD, Collie Buddz. The sound system pounded out the riddim as Collie ran back and forth across the stage, driving a very percussive singjay style. Most of the songs that he performed were from this debut album. The audience, especially all the pretty girls at the front of the stage, seemed to know the lyrics and sang along. I must admit, I too am a big fan of his music. Collie Buddz is a great album, filled with one-drop rhythms and a variety of musical styles. If you like to “wind up your waist,” you will love this music, too.
The crowd went wild as Collie launched into “Sensimillia. ” He then went into his most poluar song with the Zap Pow intro, “Come Around” and kept the vibe going with “Blind to You.” Collie went around grabbing hands and giving away his towels to the girls at the front, singing right into the faces of some adoring fans. His encore for this night was “Defend Your Own,” a song that he recently recorded in collaboration with young producer extraordinaire, Stephen “Di Genius” McGregor
Following his hour-plus performance, I managed to meet Collie after the show. He was very gracious, and I thank his tour managers, Igor and Thomas, and his assistant, Rocio for the opportunity. They are a great team and I appreciate the care they provided. I hope that our readers can look forward to an interview soon with Colin “Collie Buddz” Harper. We will continue to watch his star rise over Reggae’s horizon.