Marley Heritage

http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060807/LIFE/608070303/1005

Marley brothers spread 'One Love'

ALIAH D. WRIGHT
GANNETT NEWS SERVICE
August 7, 2006

When reggae icon Bob Marley died 25 years ago, he didn't just leave behind a legacy of music that transcended the globe with songs of revolution ("Get Up, Stand Up,"), love ("Waiting in Vain,") and pride ("One Love").

He inspired his children, equally devoted to fulfilling an overwhelming desire to bring a message of peace and love to the masses through song.

"The message," Ziggy Marley says from New York, fresh from performing in war-torn Israel days earlier, "is the most important message to give to the people of the world -- to have a new concept of God and let that concept be love instead of Judaism or Christianity or whatever . . . let all people believe in love as their religion."

It is a message that will be conveyed when Ziggy and younger brother Stephen tour the country as part of the Bob Marley Roots, Rock, Reggae Festival, which kicked off in California on Sunday.

Both brothers are promoting new albums. Ziggy's "Love is My Religion" was released just a few weeks ago. Stephen's first solo debut, the highly anticipated "Mind Control," won't drop until February.

Do all the Marleys sound alike? "There are some natural comparisons," Ziggy says. "What I don't like is when people are hindering themselves from receiving what I do freely without thinking about -- in relation to what my father did."

As for his brothers -- including Ky-mani and Julian, who have recorded off and on over the years -- Ziggy says they are each "distinctively different," adding, "If you listen to my record you can tell it's me. I think each of us has a different element of our father's voice."

While Ziggy considers himself an "old-school" reggae artist, his brother Stephen's music is more contemporary.

"Dancehall is where I'm from in terms of Jamaican music that's natural to me, but at the same time I like challenges and new horizons -- to fuse music," Stephen says. "If you're a fan of Damian's work, than you're a fan of my work automatically."

Stephen has won five Grammys producing records both as part of the Melody Makers (three in the 1990s), and with his brother Damian. His most recent is for Damian's wildly popular "Welcome to Jamrock," which won best reggae album last year. He also won for best reggae album in 2001 for producing Damian's "Halfway Tree."

"Mind Control," which Stephen produced entirely, contains collaborations with some of the hottest artists around -- Buju Banton, Mos Def, Mr. Cheeks, Spragga Benz, and of course, his brothers Julian and Damian.

Ask about influences, however, and Stephen says it is his father who "influences my music most."

For a time, Ziggy, who began sitting in on recording sessions with his father at the age of 10, fronted the Melody Makers with siblings Stephen, Cedella, and Sharon, generating such chart-topping hits as "Tomorrow People" and "Tumblin' Down." His last solo album was released three years ago.

Since then he's worked on "Love," scored a song for Adam Sandler's film "50 First Dates," and lent his voice to the animated feature film "Shark Tale."

But fans of the festival won't just hear music from both their catalogs. "I'm performing a few of my new songs . . . but right now, especially for this festival, I'll bring a whole heap of Bob with me," Stephen laughs.

In addition to being joined by the legendary Bunny Wailer (who sang with their father's group), Latin rock band Ozomatli and Jon Nicholson, the brothers say festival goers can expect a few surprises.

So what's next for the Marley family?

Ziggy says at some point he and his brothers may re-record some of their father's music and release some of his previously unheard material. "There is music that's never been released -- that no ones heard," he says.

But they're focused on recording their own music, a fitting tribute to their father's talents.

"That talent is always what drives us," says Stephen.