It's been eight years since the last
Ky-Mani Marley album, and with the release of
Maestro, it's harder than ever to introduce the veteran artist as merely "the son of
Bob Marley." He certainly shares his father's soul, sensibilities, and in the case of the whirling reggae dervish called "Fancy Things," he shares Dad's swagger, but in those eight years
Ky-Mani has grown into a wiser and stronger performer, so tagging him as junior seems short of the mark. The great
Maestro actually brings
Ky-Mani more in line with brother
Damian as the production on "Get High" (electro and Euro-flavored dancehall), "Champagne Dreams" (
Rihanna-styled post-disco), and "All the Way" (polished R&B) point to a versatile artist on the edge of pop. Brother
Damian,
Matisyahu,
Gentleman, and
Gramps Morgan fill the excellent effort's guest list. ~ David Jeffries