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Rating:
Reggae and Beyond.
Ziggy Marley, born in 1968, is the first son of Bob Marley. After being part of the Melody Makers for nearly two decades alongside his brother Stephen and sisters Cedella and Sharon, he decided in 2003 to embark on a solo career with this debut album.
"Dragonfly" is an excellent album where Ziggy proves he is continuing the path partially started with the Melody Makers, that is, not remaining solely and exclusively anchored to Reggae music.
We are faced with a versatile album, where the Reggae influence is undoubtedly present, but it is accompanied by good doses of Rock, excellent Pop, and touches of a hybrid between Hip/Hop and R&B.
Even when it comes to the more purely musical-instrumental part, Ziggy shows that he is not a slave to the Jamaican genre but rather brings it to new life by contaminating it with delightful distorted guitars, decidedly rock snare drum sounds, and excellent arrangements that are sometimes funky, sometimes even jazzy.
Supported by an excellent production and the participation of John Frusciante and Flea (RHCP), Mike Einziger, and DJ Kilmore (Incubus), we move from deep and touching moments with just voice and guitar, enriched by piano and trumpet arrangements that give the piece a slight jazz flavor (Melancholy Mood), to sunny and vibrant moments (Good Old Days and Rainbow in the Sky) where David "Ziggy's" vocal timbre takes center stage and surprises us with how similar the son's voice is to that of his illustrious father.
Ziggy does not hide his political and religious beliefs in the two excellent rock tracks "In the Name of God", where he strongly criticizes religion used to foment hatred, a theme increasingly relevant today, and the urgent need for peace in "Shalom Salaam", words that mean peace in Hebrew and Arabic respectively.
The captivating "True to Myself", almost a self-declaration of intent, and the funky-reggae "I Get Out", which becomes decidedly rock in the chorus, is a statement of autonomy in a polemic tone towards those within the music industry who see him as a product-artist because of his famous surname.
Surprise of surprises, the last track "Don't You Kill Love" is an excellent song with nice electronic attire that makes it extremely unique and smooth.
Ultimately, an album recommended because it breaks down many prejudices that a listener might have when facing an artist named Ziggy Marley, who is mentally immediately associated with a certain genre and way of interpreting music.
If you trust, give this album a listen, which I am almost sure will make you reconsider and get to know a talented artist.
Tracklist Lyrics and Samples
01 Dragonfly (04:14)
everybody's worried about time
but i just keep that shit off my mind
people living on twenty four hour clocks
Everybody's worried about time
But I just keep that shit off my mind
People living on twenty four hour clocks
But we're on a ride that never stops
Hey Mister Bee the world change but you remain the same
And I wonder how you'll survive with the environment going down the drain
Hey Miss Dragonfly I see you look at me with your beautiful eyes
You must be wondering what type of creature am I
A dog looked at me and said, Ziggy why can't we trust man
Puss and me get together, so, why can't you all just understand
An old tree stood there silently listening to every word we said
As a tear fell he cried what type of creature is man
I said hey Mister Tree the world change but you remain the same
And I wonder how you survive with the environment going down the drain
Hey Miss Butterfly I see you look at me with your beautiful eyes
You must be wondering what type of creature am I
You must be wondering what type of creature am I
Everybody's worried about time
But I just keep that shit off my mind
People living on twenty four hour clocks
But we're on a ride, yes we're on a ride, we're on a ride that never stops
Hey Mister Bee the world change but you remain the same
And I hope you'll survive while the environment is going down the drain
Hey Miss Dragonfly I see you look at me with your beautiful eyes
You must be wondering what type of creature am I
You must be wondering what type of creature is man
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