If you ask any Bob Marley
fan, what it is about his music that they love, most will
mention the fact that it was so honest and forthright and
was filled with genuine emotion. The same can be said of all
of the work of his sons. All of the Marley brothers have
been making music for at least 12 years now, and their
experience and attention to detail has just now become
evident to the world, first on Damian's "Welcome To Jahmrock"
and now Stephen's "Mind Control".
While "Mind Control" is Stephen's first foray into the
solo spotlight, he has handled a chunk of production on all
of his brother's releases and has made guest appearances on
a multitude of projects with the most notable probably being
In Love With You from Erykah Badu's "Mama's Gun"
Most people familiar with the music of the Marley siblings know
that Stephen has a reputation for being the best singer out of
the bunch and on this album he does his very best to maintain
that reputation. The album starts of with the title track
Mind Control where he channels his fathers voice and spirit
and warns about the dangers of letting others control your view
of the world.
Hey Baby follows next with Stephen and Mos Def giving us
what's destined to be the next single from the album, as they
assure their significant others that they even though they might
go off to fight spiritual wars that they will always be back.
Traffic Jam is the first single and video from the project,
featuring little brother Damian. Here we get to hear Stephen's
dee jay skills (the reggae version of emceeing) as the brothers
trade verses over a simple, but infectious track with a chorus
that's almost impossible to get out of your head.
All the above tracks are sure to be embraced by both the reggae
and non-reggae masses, but the track that I found myself
clinging to most is the one that will most likely not be.
Lonely Avenue, reminded me of 3 little birds by his
father in it's content, but the sound is distinctly different,
somewhere in between his father's coarse voice, James Brown's
adlibs and Marvin Gaye's pleading. It's a sound that I think Ben
Harper (who coincidentally appears on the album) tries to attain
but never manages to nail it, but Stephen definitely does.
With the exception of Let Her Dance (I just couldn't get
with Illestr8's verse) the album is
bordering on classic, and should hopefully lead to even more
U.S. released projects from the Marley's. I'm definitely looking
forward to catching them on tour this spring.
To me nutn wudn wrong wit Illestr8
verse. Time will tell haters!!!
Posted
by: HipHop Lover
Stephen Marley is like that for
real!! I love his flow and the sound of his voice..
It's addictive!!!
Posted
by: Anonamas
Steven and Damien will be performing
in DC on May 8th and have K'naan opening.
Posted
by: James
This album is absolutely nutz! It's
a little short, but it packs a punch. I'm not the
biggest reggae fan (hip hop for me off top) in the
world and some reggae purists might not get down with
this album, but its just that damn good.
Posted
by: HipHop Lover