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ZIGGY MARLEY AVAILABLE NOW LISTEN
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ZIGGY’S SOLO DEBUT DRAGONFLY FEATURING
GUEST ARTISTS FLEA & JOHN FRUSCIANTE (RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS)
AND CHRIS KILMORE (INCUBUS) After two decades as the driving creative force behind The
Melody Makers - a triple Grammy-winning act which includes his
brother Stephen and two sisters Sharon and Cedella - Ziggy Marley
has stepped out on his own with his first solo album. Dragonfly, a work of startling
originality and musical diversity. Never content to rehash the success of his past, Ziggy uses
Dragonfly to explore new ground and create his own distinctive
musical identity as a solo artist.
“Working on my own gave me a chance to take my time and
experiment a lot,” says Ziggy.
“It took one year to finish this record - it’s the longest
I’ve ever worked on one album.
It’s different when you’re on your own.
At some point it’s scary, and then at another it’s a drive
that makes you focus more.” Ziggy also felt it was time for a change of scene. He wrote
the album’s songs in Jamaica but recorded them in Miami and Los
Angeles. “As an artist I need to experience different things,
to see the world and have different energies. It helps me grow as a person to be outside my element.” Evidence of that growth is everywhere on Dragonfly,
a record with strong messages including the title track, which
belies its sprightly, upbeat rhythms with a story told from the
perspective of animals seeing what mankind has done to the Earth.
On the funky reggae tune “I Get Out,” the lyrical focus
is on breaking free of bondage, whether it’s artists being creatively
pigeonholed by record companies or people freeing their minds
from stereotypes and other limitations. An irresistible fusion
of reggae and hip-hop drives “True to Myself,” a charming celebration
of self-respect, while the hard-rocking “Shalom Saalam,” tackles
the Israeli/Palestinian conflict (the title juxtaposes the Hebrew
and Arabic words for peace). In “Looking,” Ziggy turns up the
Jamaican sunshine factor while reflecting on an endless quest
for happiness and spirituality. “In The Name of God” is a no holds-barred
assault on the global hypocrisy of religious warfare, a driving
rock song that surges with an emotional plea for an end to the separation of people by religions of any name. Dragonfly’s focus on political as well as personal
strength is further plumbed in “Rainbow,” using a syncopated reggae
groove and funky horn arrangements to deliver a message of hope
and self-determination. The album’s most personal song is “Melancholy
Mood,” whose slow groove matches its introspective lyrics examining
Ziggy’s struggles with heartbreak and sorrow, and his meditative
approach to healing these emotions. “Good Old Days,” is a much-needed
dose of anti-nostalgia, a wake-up call that today will soon be
the past, and that the present must be savored in the moment.
“Never Deny You” is a prayerful love song that fuses elegant cello
arrangements and a steady R&B beat to communicate Ziggy’s
own undying commitment to his Rastafarian faith. “Don’t You Kill Love” brings the album
into its most dreamy moments as the music shifts into swirls of
keyboard pads, sitars and breathy synthesizers in a prayer for
non-violence. A native of Kingston, Jamaica, Ziggy first sat in on recording
sessions with his father’s band, legendary reggae troupe Bob Marley
and the Wailers, when he was ten years old.
Joining with his three siblings to become The Melody Makers,
Ziggy crafted his own soulful sound blending blues, R&B, hip-hop and roots reggae. After their first two albums, Play
The Game Right (1985) and Hey World! (1986), The Melody
Makers earned their first Grammy (Best Reggae Recording) for Conscious
Party (1988), an album produced by Talking Heads Chris Frantz
and Tina Weymouth which included the hit songs “Tomorrow People”
and “Tumbling Down.” |
