Marlena Smalls and the Hallelujah Singers were not at all what I expected and, initially, I was intrigued by this fact. When they all took the stage, to the percussion of marimba played on the keyboard, with nary a unifying aspect to their dress and demeanour, I thought that the lack of visual cohesiveness was refreshing.Acts in the Bermuda Festival can be on the highbrow side, with all of the personality and quirk polished out. A bit of rawness could be refreshing, exciting even. I was a bit titillated by the fact that expectations were not being met. The band on the stage looked like a motley crew of friends and family getting ready to have a loose jam session or rehearsal.The first song, ‘O Mother Africa’, was an effortless West African inflected blend of harmonies and bode well for the evening.Between songs, the disarming and bubbly Marlena Smalls interjected bits of history about the origins and evolution of black music in the United States. The programme was broken into styles of music. Part I was Plantation Melodies and Negro Spirituals and Gospel. Part II was Blues and Jazz.Marlena, who recently turned 64, also regaled the audience with colourful and humorous anecdotes about ageing. This was also unexpected but served to add a personal touch to the evening and further endear the audience.Marlena sang solo in the first four songs and I was struck by the effortlessness of her delivery. It wasn’t until ‘Way Down in Egypt Land’ that I was completely sold on her ability. The music behind this number was sombre and affecting and her singing heartfelt.It began a little on the shaky side and I could not discern if she was trying to find her cue or make sure that her note was correct but she gradually warmed into it. The harmonies, similar to those employed in older reggae, the music, and her emotional delivery made this the most gorgeous moment of the evening.Unfortunately the tentative start was an indication of what was in store for the audience for the rest of the show.The next song, ‘Cap’n’, was the first to feature other singers in solo roles. They each handled their portions of the jaunty number competently, but it also became apparent that Marlena is the most interesting, confident and nuanced singer.Some of the songs listed in the programme were missed completely in the first half of the show and it became evident between and during numbers that the performers were not always sure what came next. This was not improvisation. It appeared that they were in need of rehearsal. In fact, in spite of the great harmonies, much of the performance felt like rehearsal.The second half of the show began with mic issues. I am pretty sure that the mic was not on because the lights had not changed to signify the restart after intermission and Marlena was trying to start before it was time.It was during this time that she also asked for the lights to be raised on stage so that she could read the words to some of the songs that she was about to sing. Even with the laid-back vibe of the evening this was unfortunate and she still did not exactly get all of the words right.‘What a Difference a Day Makes’ was the low point of the evening. Marlena read it and there were a couple of false starts because she missed her cues. She missed cues throughout the song as well and it was a long one. She brought it home pretty handily through the power of her voice and effortlessness of her phrasing but the majority of the performance was pretty amateurish.It reminded me of a recurring dream that I have where I am on stage and I haven’t learned my lines so I just make stuff up as the other actors and audience look at me in horror. I imagine that is how we looked at Ms Smalls during this hot mess of a number.Unfortunately after this, her daughter Sumitra took over for two songs, ‘My Funny Valentine’ and ‘Killing Me Softly’. The only singer who could save the evening at this point was Marlena.Sumitra has a nice voice and her jazz stylings in both songs were competent. At some points her phrasing was fresh and unexpectedly elastic. There were repeated points in both songs however where she obviously missed the mark or the note or forsook the melody altogether.This was a pity because she is a good singer even if she tends to become a bit nasal sometimes.Singing does not come as effortlessly for everyone as it comes for Marlena.It would be remiss of me not to mention the multi-instrumentalist musicians, keyboardist Earl Flemming and percussionist Derwin Daniels, who were both unwaveringly solid and impressive throughout the evening.As a reviewer my tickets were free but I understand that tickets were $65. While I was entertained and Marlena Smalls is a wonderful singer and warm and personable performer, I would have been very disappointed to have paid that much for such an uneven and obviously unrehearsed event.Despite the talent involved the event reminded me of a hastily arranged performance for family and friends or a fund raiser, not an evening at City Hall Theatre as part of the Bermuda Festival.As much as I liked Marlena Smalls the evening was simply a hot mess.