Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley: Welcome to Jamrock
I'll start with this:
I've never been a huge fan of Reggae.
I'd listen to Bob Marley, like everyone else, and I want to be Jammin', but it never really took for me.
Then I heard this. While it may not be 100% reggae, I think it would be an excellent entry way to the Jamaican music.
In DC this year, Damian opened for U2 both nights. I was expecting some boring pot-fest, which, mind you, is still good stuff, but this music ROCKED. For the 45 minutes he and his band were on stage, the audience was moving with the music. Even before U2 came on, there was a small sense of community.
I'd enjoyed what I'd heard, so I figured I'd pick up the album. And even on disc, it was good stuff.
Some of the tunes (Confrontation, Welcome to Jamrock) are harder than others (Beautiful, who samples something, but I just can't place it, and Pimpass Paradise), but it moves together well. Confrontation, Welcome to Jamrock, and Road to Zion are my favourites on the album, but that's mostly because they have such great beats.
Something in the lyrics of Confrontation immediately jumped out at me:
"See it deh know the innocent going up in vapors and
propoganda spreading inna the sunday papers
not even superman coulda save you with him cape cause"
Its both a painful visual, and, yes, hearing Superman drew men in. I'm a geek.
In the end: Really, this is a great album. You have to be willing to listen to reggae, but I promise you, this is a great investment, and I plan on picking Young Marley's earlier albums.
I've never been a huge fan of Reggae.
I'd listen to Bob Marley, like everyone else, and I want to be Jammin', but it never really took for me.
Then I heard this. While it may not be 100% reggae, I think it would be an excellent entry way to the Jamaican music.
In DC this year, Damian opened for U2 both nights. I was expecting some boring pot-fest, which, mind you, is still good stuff, but this music ROCKED. For the 45 minutes he and his band were on stage, the audience was moving with the music. Even before U2 came on, there was a small sense of community.
I'd enjoyed what I'd heard, so I figured I'd pick up the album. And even on disc, it was good stuff.
Some of the tunes (Confrontation, Welcome to Jamrock) are harder than others (Beautiful, who samples something, but I just can't place it, and Pimpass Paradise), but it moves together well. Confrontation, Welcome to Jamrock, and Road to Zion are my favourites on the album, but that's mostly because they have such great beats.
Something in the lyrics of Confrontation immediately jumped out at me:
"See it deh know the innocent going up in vapors and
propoganda spreading inna the sunday papers
not even superman coulda save you with him cape cause"
Its both a painful visual, and, yes, hearing Superman drew men in. I'm a geek.
In the end: Really, this is a great album. You have to be willing to listen to reggae, but I promise you, this is a great investment, and I plan on picking Young Marley's earlier albums.
posted by askani97 at 11:32 AM
1 Comments:
I have a friend who once told me that he prefers funk as a spice rather than a main dish. (He compared it to curry. He likes curry, like styles of food that use curry, but couldn't imagine eating a plate of curry.) I know a lot of people who feel the same about reggae.
From what I could hear of this from iTunes Music Store, this Damian Marley seems to be a lot closer to the Rock Steady and toasting than the "bass on the second and fourth, rhythm guitar on the first and third" style of his father.
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