/ARTS WEEKLY/MUSIC-JAMAICA: Marley Son Seeks Own Sound

By IPS Correspondents Reprint | | Print |

Howard Campbell

KINGSTON, Nov 11 2003 (IPS) - It has been six years since Julian Marley’s debut album, ‘Lion In The Morning’, was released. But the singer-songwriter says the songs on his new album, ‘A Time and Place’, are so timeless it is unlikely fans will notice that he has been away.

‘A Time and Place’ blends hip-hop, jazz and the roots-reggae Marley’s father, Bob Marley, patented during the 1970s.

"We have all different types of feels, because nowadays you have reggae people buying hip-hop CDs or a rock CD. That’s the way it is – sometimes people want to listen to different things," said the 28-year-old Marley in a recent interview from New York City, where he was promoting the album.

Released in early October, ‘A Time and Place’ is the latest album to bear the seal of Ghetto Youths International, a company started by Julian’s older brothers Ziggy and Stephen Marley in the mid-1990s to produce their music as well as that of budding talent in their camp.

It was produced by Stephen, who did similar duties for ‘Halfwaytree’, the 2001 set by Damian, another Marley sibling. ‘Halfwaytree’ took the prize for ‘best reggae album’ at the 2002 Grammy Awards.

It was a watershed album for the Marley boys, who have never had the acclaim in Jamaica that their father enjoyed in the 1960s and 1970s. The album’s brash blend of hip-hop and dancehall spawned anthems like "More Justice" and "It Is Written", and made Damian (‘Junior Gong’) Marley one of the most popular artists in Jamaica.

To date, ‘A Time And Place’ has not been burning up the airwaves here. That may be because young record buyers are not sold on music with live instrumentation and songs that last over five minutes.

Tunes like "Harder Dayz," and "Systems" hear Julian staying true to Marley tradition and addressing social issues. Yet, the mellow, jazz-influenced tracks such as "Where She Lay", "Summer Daisies" and "Sunshine" are the ones likely to win him fans.

Julian says although he is inspired by socially conscious acts like his father and Stevie Wonder, his musical tastes have grown to include jazz and African music.

Considered the musician in the Marley clan, Julian played guitar or keyboards on all 13 songs on "A Time And Place", and was good enough to work on Lauryn Hill’s multi-Grammy winner, "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill".

He says he kept in tune with the music business after releasing his first album by touring and recording with Stephen and Damian, and believes that experience helped him to mature musically. Julian wrote or co-wrote all songs on the new album.

He is one of nine children Bob Marley reportedly fathered out of wedlock. Born in London Julian came to Jamaica 10 years ago to live with the Marleys at their home in St. Andrew parish, and to learn the ropes of the music business at the family’s high-tech studio at the Bob Marley Museum.

But for attending a show at Crystal Palace in London where Marley performed when he was four years old, Julian has little memories of his famous father. But early in life he knew that he wanted to follow in his footsteps and become a reggae singer.

He took his first steps to emulate his father in 1997 when he recorded ‘Lion In The Morning’, produced by Stephen Marley. It was his first major project and although it was released amid much fanfare, the album sold poorly in the United States and little was heard of Julian immediately after.

In 2001, he made international headlines for a non-musical incident. He and Stephen were arrested and charged by police in the U.S. state of Florida for possession of marijuana. They were freed after paying a fine.

With ‘A Time and Place’, Julian is keen to shrug off of the "Bob Marley boy" image and be taken seriously as a musician. But like his father, he would like to get his message of cultural and world awareness across to a new audience.

"This album is about daily things, and roots and culture. I’d love people to listen to it and get inspiration," he said.