Damian Marley
Welcome to Jamrock

Well, I really don't know how to start. So... Robert Nesta Marley or more easily BOB MARLEY. Anyone who has taken an interest in his life knows how much he was a lover of women and absolutely unfaithful. According to some biographers, it's estimated that Bob Marley's children, both acknowledged and not, even reach the double digits.

Damian Marley is the youngest of his children who carry his surname and is a musician, raised in the fascinating world of 56 Hope Road (Bob Marley's true headquarters) in Jamaica, growing up between the Caribbean island and Miami. One thing can be said with sufficient certainty, and that is that Damian Marley has talent. He's no stranger to music, and this "Welcome to Jamrock" is his third album. A fine album that moves between Roots-Reggae, Hip-Hop, Dancehall, and R&B sounds. It must be immediately clarified that if you have his father's production in your mind and ears, this album will definitely make you raise an eyebrow, but it must also be said that the merit attributed to Damian is the fact that he modernizes Reggae, blending it with a predominantly West Coast Hip-Hop and R&B rhythms that, if the undersigned doesn't love, undeniably represent the new Soul and Pop sounds of Black America.

Another noteworthy factor is the presence of an approach that remains faithful to the Jamaican tradition made of Sound System and where Dancehall is released and internationalized. The single that literally made this album and its creator explode is "Welcome to JamRock", a song with a truly Jamaican singing style, very dirty with Dub and an acidic and pounding rhythm that gets immediately into your head and lyrics that are a denunciation of Jamaican social disparities. "Confrontation" is an intriguing atypical invocation song with an intro taken from a speech by His Majesty Haile Selassie "King of Kings" and a very rhythmic singing. "All Night" is a beautiful Dancehall track that will make you understand all the differences between Shaggy and Damian Marley. It's not all roses, there are at least three or four tracks that for this writer lean too much towards the plasticity of certain Hit music. “There for you” moves in territories halfway between R&B and Blues, and the singing, full of drama and emotion, brings to mind certain special interpretations of Bob Marley.

Also present are two revisitations of “Pimpers Paradise” which becomes “Pimpa’s Paradise” acoustic with the participation of Black Thought and then the freestyle of “Exodus” which turns into “Move”. Another particularly successful track is “Road to Zion” featuring Nas with a particularly smooth flow, leaving Hip-Hop to return to the Roots-Reggae of “We’re Gonna Make it”, a beautiful upbeat track. To sum up, it can be safely said that Damian “Junior Gong” Marley is an excellent interpreter who, with this album, is credited with (re)bringing a bit of light to reggae, interpreting and living it with respect and passion. On the other hand, it cannot be denied that the album is tailored to appeal to American audiences, well-crafted in sounds and excellently produced by his brother Stephen Marley, although it leans a bit too much towards radio play. Fundamentally, the problem with this album is that it has two sides. One is tempted to listen to it over and over again to savor all the little excellent nuances, but it is also true that some compositions, from the very first listen, leave much to be desired, making subsequent listens leave the listener wanting more Original & Roots sounds... Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, Skatalites and so on…

This is it, the “little” Marley is here and makes himself heard... Let's hope he continues this way without getting swallowed by the media garbage grinder of trash music and continues to “speak” with his music which, by his own admission, is redemption music. What can I say... let's hope.