Search - Damian Marley :: Welcome to Jamrock

Alison J. from OREFIELD, PA
Reviewed on 6/23/2006...

Damian Marley is quite different from his brother & father, but the influence is still discernable. Interesting & well worth hearing.

Jr. Gong rings loud and true

Amanda Richards | Georgetown, Guyana | 10/08/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The youngest son of the one and only Bob Marley, Damian (Jr. Gong) Marley takes his nickname from his dad's "Tuff Gong" moniker, and has been strutting his talented genes since he was 13 years old. This is his third album, after Mr. Marley (1996) and the Grammy award winning "Halfway Tree" (2001).



The first single "Welcome to Jamrock" stormed the charts on release, with its blaring air horn and Ine Kamoze sample, causing much controversy in his homeland of Jamaica with its hard hitting, critical lyrics about poverty and politics:



"Come on let's face it, a ghetto education's basic

A most a the youths them waste it

And when they waste it, that's when they take the guns and replace it

Then them don't stand a chance at all"



The album is an expose of the side of Jamaica the tourists don't see, and music wise is a fusion of reggae, dancehall, R&B and even Hip Hop, starring his brother Stephen, with a guest list that includes Bobby Brown, Nas, Bounty Killer, Buju Banton and others. He even includes a part of a Marcus Garvey speech in the opening track.



Songs to watch are "Move", which samples his dad's "Exodus"; "Khaki Suit", a true dancehall treasure with Bounty Killer; "Pimpa's Paradise", a sad tale of drugs and prostitution; "All Night", and "In 2 Deep", but there are others worth a listen. An unusual and exciting album for fans of Reggae and Caribbean music.





Amanda Richards, October 7, 2005

"

Soild Effort. Not what you might expect however.

Tyrone Swainson | Jamaica, New York USA | 09/14/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Here is my straight foward analysist.



If you were expecting anything like Welcome to Jamrock you will be a bit dissapointed. There isn't anything on the album as good as that but there are some nice tracks. This album is a good effort. A nice mix of music, just a little bit unexpected:



My opinion:



Welcome to Jamrock (Excellent!)



Confrontation (JUST OK: only deccent lyrics but very good production.)



There For You (GOOD)



The Master Has Come Back (JUST OK: lyrics just above deccent.)



All Night (JUST OK: tough riddim but bland lyrics.)



Beautiful (GOOD)



Pimpass Paradise (Excellent: Single Material!)



Move (GOOD, but lyrics could have been better)



For the Babies (JUST OK)



Hey Girl (Excellent : Single Material!)



Road to Zion (GOOD: I'm tempted to say great because NAS held it down but Junior really isn't saying anything great in this track. His flow is old school reggae. It gets a pass still. And it could easily be released seperately as a single).



We're Going to Make it (GOOD)



In 2 Deep (Excellent! Possible Single)



Kakhi Suit (Excellent!)



As you can see there is not one bad song on this album and five excellent tracks out of 14 is good for any album. Overall the album is good. If I would say anything negative about it, however, it's that it's a bit unbalanced. Some of the tracks just shouldn't be there..mainly the Just Ok ones. It would have been nice if Junior kept the album in the vein of tracks like Kakhi Suit and Jamrock but this yute is a talented entertainer with a varied taste in music. Therefore, I could understand why the album is the way it is.



I on the other hand, would have just have kept the whole thing gully (LIKE JAMROCK!) and then hit them with the softer stuff on the follow-up LP.



My ratings still:



4 stars. Soild all around showing. This album deserves to be heard. Respeck."