Damian 'Jnr Gong' Marley - Welcome To Jamrock

YOURZ

Barely two years old when his father died, Damian 'Jr Gong' Marley grew up in the shadow of his Bob's reputation and the fanatical following he inspired around the world.  His youngest son could well have turned out to be another spoilt underachiever living on the reputation of his parents (like so many).  But if anything is true, it's the opposite.

A musical force in his own right, Damian turned the collateral of having a famous father into a spectacular Grammy-winning career.  Performing since the age of 13, he's a reflection of the Marley clan's many talents, his speciality being a toaster (and not the baddies from Battlestar Galactica either - how's that for a geek-fact). 

On Welcome To Jamrock, he continues updating the traditional Jamaican template to include samples, beats and sounds more associated with hip hop than with reggae but with such great effect it won him two Grammys on the same night, something no reggae artist has ever previously done. 

Now, if you like reggae and hip hop, this is absolutely a must have.  Every track, from the opener political manifesto of Confrontation to the more personal Beautiful (for the ladeez) and the genre blurring tracks Pimpas Paradise (featuring The Roots Black Thought) and Road To Zion (featuring Nas) are just brilliant.  In fact, there is not a dud track on this record, as far as I'm concerned. 

I like this album so much, I'd love to call it a Forgotten Gem.  Problem is I play it too much so I'm not likely to forget it.  For me, it is truly one of the greatest albums of this genre and well in line to be one of THE albums of the decade. (Mine says: And there's a great example of how different our tastes can be sometimes.)

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

MINE

I have a confession to make.  I don't like reggae music.  Oh sure, I'll sing along to some old Bob Marley or Peter Tosh, but generally it's not really my thing.  You know the quote about golf being a good walk spoiled?  I think reggae's some good music spoiled.  (YourZ sez: and yet you love ska - what gives?)

Notwithstanding Damian's stellar lineage, this album just annoyed me.  There's too much shouting at me from the toasters, some of the nominal melody lines are horrifically repetetive, and then there's the matter of being able to understand what's being said or sung or shouted, which is intermittant.  And that's not because Damian doesn't know how to enunciate, it's that he chooses not to.  Or chooses to stir in that thick, gluey Jamaican accent.  Now, all power to him, Jah be with him and keep him and all that good stuff, and I'm not criticising the music or the playing or the production.  But I just can't imagine ever wanting to listen to this ever again.  Not even if you paid me.

VERDICT: THROW IT OUT

For more information: http://www.myspace.com/damianmarley

Bran Van 3000 - Discosis

YOURZ

This is a genre-hopping masterpiece and, prior to Mine and YourZ (truly) discovering Dusted by Katalyst (see the review here), this album was THE choice party-starter.  In fact, I remember going to a backyard BBQ a number of years ago where the only album played all night was this one, on repeat.  Everything else simply paled into insignificance against it.

As Mine mentions below, it features one of last tracks Curtis Mayfield ever recorded and, while this is a stunning song, is one of large number of stunners on Discosis (whose guest list also includes Eek-A-Mouse, Dimitri from Paris, Youssou N'dour and Badar Ali Khan, among others).  And believe me, there's a lot to pick from, with songs for all moods and flavours.  It really is a crowd pleaser.  And the Boris Vallejo cover art is icing on the cake.

Now the real question is why we don't own their third release, Rosé?

VERDICT: TURN IT UP


MINE

When YourZ first introduced me to Bran Van 3000, shortly after we first began our relationship, I was gobsmacked.  Not just because of the quality that shines through Discosis, but because I had never heard of them before.  Now that may seem a bit egotistic, but at the time I was an avid purchaser of music magazines and worked quite closely with the radio industry.

Anyway, this album became a firm favourite as soon as I heard it, and it's now on my list of CDs-to-be-replaced immediately - should an apocalypse visit our current collection.  The opening song features one of my favourite singers - Curtis Mayfield - recorded shortly before he died.  For those of you who don't know, Curtis (who wrote Superfly, one of the best soundtrack albums of all time) was paralysed from the neck down after a lighting rig hit him in 1990.  He recorded the vocals for Astounded like he did all of the songs on his last album - lying flat on his back.  And if you've never heard that song, listen to it NOW.  It changed my life, maybe it'll change yours.

The main point about Discosis though is that all the songs are different.  REALLY different.  They're catchy and cool, the album is loooooong and also features the wildly gorgeous voice of Senegal's Youssou N'Dour.  Divine.  And it contains one of our favourite songs - we picked Love Cliché to lead off the soundtrack to our wedding video.

VERDICT:TURN IT UP (ain't no party like a Bran Van party)


For more information: http://www.last.fm/music/Bran+Van+3000


In our collection, we also have Glee