Even though it's a posthumous compilation of hits,
Bob Marley's
Legend (1984) is the best-selling reggae album of all time, but even more, it's a cherished set of favorites that fans hold quite dear. Keep that in mind, and that
Marley's catalog has been shamelessly subjected to cheeseball remixes in the past, and it's easy to see why roots reggae noses wrinkle at the word "Remixed," but in the set's liner notes,
Marley son
Ziggy keeps it real. "This is an adventure in music," he writes, "a 'soul adventure'" with words like "respect" and "open ears" further supporting his cause, but it's the music that matters here, and the tasteful set of remixers listed on the back should be the first clue that this one is soul-filling and easy skanking. Speaking of, studio wizard and
Marley son
Stephen bends the rules a bit by grabbing the bonus track "Easy Skanking" off the deluxe edition of
Legend, but he turns it into a wonderfully busy dubstep kaleidoscope of dad's feel-good vibes.
Stephen's remix of "No Woman No Cry" is chock-full of bass drops as well, but it's the feel-good, sunshine disco he lays on the track that puts hands in the air. Brother
Ziggy's the one who surprises with his rich, rootsy, reserve red, and reverbed mixes of "Stir It Up" and "Redemption Song," while others play to their strengths and exceed expectations, like
Thievery Corporation ("Get Up Stand Up" wonderfully echoes into space) and
Roni Size (his cut sounds like a simple Internet kid's hastily pasted together mash-up of "Brown Paper Bag" and "I Shot the Sheriff," but it's simply delicious). Fans unfamiliar with the electronica and EDM scenes should know this one leans toward the underground rather than the mainstream, with folks like
Photek taking it slow and low rather than hard and fast. Those concerned that the
Marley legacy is damaged by this stuff should know that
Ziggy puts it out there, writing in the liners that "Nothing will ever be better than the originals." Nothing here is, but it's all worthwhile, and some of it is quite wonderful. ~ David Jeffries