Left: Jermaine Michaels started the show with a passionate rendition of 'Hold My Hands'. Right: Latoya Chambers tried her best at gospel but was unable to convey some level of spirituality. - Colin Hamilton

In an overpacked auditorium, Nekorah Phillips and Jermaine Michaels soared above the other contestants when they sang gospel songs at the Digicel Rising Stars live show that was held at the Courtleigh Auditorium in New Kingston on Sunday night.

There were children in laps and people standing to the sides of the room because they were not allowed to sit on the floor of the auditorium. People even occupied seats that they could not see from.

At the start of the show, the results were announced with Phylea and Latoya finding themselves in the bottom two. Phylea sang her heart out on the Lady Gaga medley but she was off key in sections.

When Chambers took the microphone, it was evident that she really wanted to stay in the competition, as she seemed to perform better than the previous week. In the end, judge Nadine Sutherland was left with the deciding vote that allowed Chambers to stay in the competition.

Kicking off the night's show was Jermaine Michaels, who sang Glacia Robinson's Hold My Hands. He was hitting, long strong notes that had the audience shouting, screaming and clapping.

Sutherland said she was pleased that he was her wildcard choice. Anthony Miller thought he did really well, while Clyde McKenzie thought he was convincing.

Camaley sang Lord I Believe In You, even doing some sections of the song in Spanish. Her eyes were closed and she kept moving her hands in a dramatic manner throughout the performance. When she stood at the end of the song, some of the people in the audience stood with her as they applauded her efforts. There were even some people shouting 'hallelujah' and 'amen'. McKenzie and Sutherland were convinced but Miller thought she sounded 'cheesy'.

no spirituality

Chambers sang You Raised Me Up but the judges did not feel the spirituality in her performance. Miller referred to her performance as 'cold and clinical'. Meanwhile, the other judges thought her vocals were rich.

Sutherland and McKenzie were impressed with Dalton Harris's rendition of When I Call On Jesus. But Miller said, "they are both patronising you. What you brought to the table was just ordinary and I didn't like it."

Toni Blair stomped and seemed as if she was fighting out the notes but not enough to convince Miller who thought her performance was 'stomach turning'. The other judges thought she did a decent job.

As Nekorah Phillips started her rendition of Midnight Cry, there were tambourines shaking in the audience. She stomped and held her belly as she belted out some powerful and high notes. She also got a standing ovation.

Mckenzie thought she was 'fabulous', while Sutherland said, "you wrapped your voice around the song." Miller also liked her performance as he believed she "blew the opposition away." To end the show was a special performance by gospel artiste DJ Nicholas, who spent some time in the chill room earlier. He sang Holy Ghost Gym and engaged the audience in his high-energy performance.

Left: Nekorah Phillips ended the night on a high note, getting standing ovation from sections of the audience. Right: Dalton Harris was not his best this week, but still pleased the audience.

Left: Toni Blair tried hard to win the crowd's favour. Right: Although seated, Camaley gave a very convincing performance.