I’ve been listening to the new Damian Marley Welcome to Jamrock, overcoming my initial reluctance to indulge what might be another Sean Lennon. Not every track on there is perfect- working his father’s “Exodus” into “Move!” doesn’t do much for me, and who can like anything that combines saxophone and Bobby Brown?- but this is a really solid album. It sounds fresh and new and kills loud.
Damian Marley – “Khaki Suit” (MP3 link removed)
And, in case no one ever dances in the bars you go to, you might not have heard this one:
Damian Marley – “All Night” (MP3 link removed)
Contrast with Sinead O’Connor’s new reggae album, Throw Down Your Arms. It sounds fine: as Jed pointed out to me, she has a beautiful voice, so it’s hard for it to suck. It doesn’t. I guess I just can’t get past the feeling that you’ll get it for free if you spend $100 at 10,000 Villages. After a couple listens, it’s just not going anywhere.
Fred Wilson made it his MP3 of the Week, though, and last week he had up a new Bloc Party track, so go download the mp3 and make up your own mind.
Update: Raina is going to kill me if I don’t point out that I used her copy of Jamrock and she liked it first.
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“who can like anything that combines saxophone and Bobby Brown?”…
Obviously, you meant to say, “who CAN’T like anything that combines saxophone and Bobby Brown?”!
I don’t know, joy. Have you seen that new VH1 reality series, “Being a Saxophone”? Bo-ring.
sounds wicked… damian marley
That song “Welcome to Jamrock” has been stuck in my head for months now.
To hear Damian and Biggie Smalls rip it up on Jamrock, go here:
http://www.christopherporter.com/2005/10/damian-marley-featuring-notorious-big.html
also, who the fuck is Raina? Who the fuck is Jim Bob?
Damian has been around for a long long time, making tracks since he was a child. The Bob-Damian comparisons, or the comparisons to other famous sons (sean lennon, jackob dylan, etc) is completely unfounded, as the kids really emulate thier fathers. Although other Marley members such as Ziggy (when he was with the melody makers) or Julian are much more along the lines of Ras Marley’s work. Damian on the other hand, does things like take roots jams (like Ini Kamoze’s tune that he turned into the track “welcome to Jamrock) and turn them into hip hop/roots reggae/dancehall infusions rarely heard. His songs that were less popular on the cd are just tracks that wont be understood if you dont understand rockers and thier history in Jamaica. Like the eek-a-mouse/bounty killer track. The bobby brown track is pretty damn wierd though.
Jah Rastafari
Give thanks and praises to the prince of peace.
As someone who has lived in Jamaica most of my life I have to comment.. Though I love Jr Gong’ds album to death. It is most laughable that he chooses the content of lyrics that he does. First of all Damian Marley grew up in what we call uptown in Jamaia. He knows nothing about Ghetto youth. His father was a multimillionaire singer his mother a well known Miss World (and now Jamaican solcialite) and she is in fact what we refer to as a “Jamaican white” woman.( In Ja that spells privilege). What is more, Damian’s step father is one of the most wealthy lawyers in Jamaica.. he knows nothing about the youths them bawlin out!!! His concert held in Ja in December had a number of priveleged young people ( many of them his peers from Priory days.. Priory was at the time one of the schools in Jamaica for the rich light and bright) in the VIP section jumping up to “ghetto music” they knew nothing about. Anyway if Kelsey Grammer can write the script for Girlfriends then….