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Nearly two decades after his death, Bob Marley's mystique has grown only stronger. Now, with the arrival of CHANT DOWN BABYLON, expect Marley's mass appeal to grow ever larger. Originally titled A REBEL'S DREAM, the new disc aims to bridge the gap that Marley perceived between American R&B fans and his music by using studio trickery to create "duets" between Marley and hip-hop stars such as Lauryn Hill, Busta Rhymes, Erykah Badu and others. While the technique (deployed on works by Patsy Cline and Nat King Cole) may seem ghoulish, reggae, which revels in technological tinkering, is the natural home for such studio "versioning" and the mixing of past and present. At any rate, the tracks here, produced by Marley's son Stephen, are uniformly excellent. From the retro organ bark of "No More Trouble," the younger Marley proves to be a tasteful and innovative remixer, wrapping his father's voice around Badu's harmonies, creating vocal ad libs, and retaining a vintage, soulful feel amid the street beats. Emcees like Guru, Rakim, and Chuck D draw fire from Marley's rebel legend, igniting "Johnny Was," "Concrete Jungle," and "Survivors," and Busta puts his Jamaican heritage to good use with a patois delivery that only he could get away with. Only "Roots, Rock, Reggae" with Aerosmith's Steven Tyler and Joe Perry, comes off forced, and Lauryn Hill's beautiful way with "Turn Your Lights Down Low" would have made a better ballad than a Mary J. Blige-style hip-hop-soul jam. Of all the directions CHANT DOWN BABYLON could have taken -- the sterile crooner/rapper "combinations" of current dancehall reggae, or Marley karaoke -- Stephen Marley's picked the winner. Equal parts rap and reggae, new and old, CHANT DOWN BABYLON fulfills a rebel's dream after all. Somewhere, Bob is smiling down at Babylon.
Condition:NEW. Brand New Factory Sealed
TRACK LISTINGS
1. No More Trouble 4:51
2. Rebel Music 3:29
3. Johnny Was 4:19
4. Concrete Jungle 4:12
5. Rastaman Chant 4:18
6. Guiltiness 3:53
7. Turn Your Lights Down Low 5:46
8. Jammin' 4:08
9. Kinky Reggae 3:53
10. Roots, Rock, Reggae 4:05
11. Survival a.k.a. Black Survivors 3:50
12. Burnin' And Lootin' 4:54
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