By Karu F. Daniels, Blackvoices.com



The 2008 Air Jamaica Jazz & Blues Festival kicked off last night at the Acquaduct Rose Hall in Montego Bay, Jamaica. The sights and sounds of Bob Marley's native land was in full force, in what appeared to be a re-imagined soccer field filled with merchant booths, food courts, music stages and private tents -- all overlooking the ocean.

Grammy Award winning R&B diva Anita Baker did the honors of being the first night's main attraction – and the popular Caribbean island's natives welcomed her with open arms. Wearing her trademark black silky chiffon dress, the 'Caught Up in the Rapture' chanteuse hit the stage roughly at 12:30 a.m. as the second to the last act on a bill that initially kicked off at around 7 p.m. Former Kool & The Gang front-man J.T. Taylor followed.

Though late, the massive crowd grew to a swelling capacity at the outdoor venue seeming to ignite what felt like a universal body heat that can be comparable to a late night sweat-box.

Baker started her hour-long set with an easy, breezy version of her dreamy ballad 'Mystery,' from her 1986 major label debut, 'Rapture.'

"This is only a dress," Baker, visibly moved, explained from the stage. "We are here to work for you. If you want to sing, sing and if you want to dance, dance."

And the crowd did just that; so much so that she started to cry when they launched into her breakthrough debut ballad 'Sweet Love' after hearing her band

From there – with the crowd fully warmed up – the Detroit native took a walk down memory lane, effortlessly rattling off a battalion of her early musical gems, including 'No One in the World,' 'Fairy Tales' and the groovy 'Same Old Love.' (The classic song's music video featured Baker in rolling rink and she simulated the image by gliding on the stage while dancing to the tune.)

She asked 'Where you been Jamaica? It's been too long," before she sang the haunting ballad 'Been So Long.'

Promoters of the festival took a special moment of pause to celebrate Baker's 50th birthday (Jan. 26) with a bouquet of red roses and a whipped cream cake (which she happily left the stage with after her final song).

Towards the end of her rapturous set, her rendition of 'Body & Soul' sent the crowd into a full-on frenzy, specifically when her voice soared at the end of the song.

Smooth and elegant as ever, the somewhat reclusive songstress seemed to be in good spirits during her fist visit to Jamaica in umpteen number of years. The crowd, under the balmy moon shadow, seemed to have had a spiritual experience with her proving that good things do, indeed, come to those who wait.