Love Is My Religion

by Ziggy Marley

Overview

More than two decades into his successful career -- yes, he has now been recording for more years than his dad Bob did -- Ziggy Marley should not have to fend off comparisons to his iconic father. But like his also-performing younger brothers Damian, Julian, and Stephen, one supposes he always will, and one has to wonder just what Bob Marley would have made of an album as disappointing and insignificant as Love Is My Religion, Ziggy Marley's second album outside of his group the Melody Makers. With the Melody Makers -- comprised largely of other Marley offspring -- Ziggy proved that he possessed a voice of his own (even if its physical qualities were eerily similar to those of Bob's). On albums such as 1988's Conscious Party, the Melody Makers broke far enough away from the familiar Marley style to demonstrate that Ziggy was developing into a formidable songwriter and vocalist, without losing sight of his legacy. Fast-forward nearly two decades, and Ziggy Marley has not grown much -- if anything, he has seemingly run out of forward-looking ideas. With his familial genre-defining roots -- and more contemporary reggae variations -- still underpinning his songs, Ziggy is never afraid to step out of bounds. But as he did on his first solo album, 2003's Dragonfly, Ziggy again takes the safest routes, watering down the arrangements and the playing until the tracks veer close to lounge-reggae territory. More appalling is that Marley's lyrics have become sophomoric at best, cliche-ridden faux anthems that one might have expected from him as a teenager but certainly not as a seasoned adult artist. With Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley, in particular, having reached the top of the charts with his monumental, cutting-edge Welcome to Jamrock album in 2005, it would seem that Ziggy, once the great hope for the next generation of Marleys, has been surpassed. [Tuff Gong/Umgd's 2007 edition included three bonus tracks.] ~ Jeff Tamarkin

Product Details

Release Date:	12/04/2007
Label:	Tuff Gong / Tuff Gong Worldwide / Tuff Gong/Umgd / Vp Records
UPC:	0804879102724

Tracks

1. Into the Groove
2. Love Is My Religion
3. Make Some Music
4. Friend
5. Black Cat
6. Beach in Hawaii
7. A Lifetime
8. Be Free
9. Keep on Dreamin'
10. Still the Storms
11. Love Is My Religion [Acoustic]
12. Be Free [Dub]
13. Jammin' [Live]
14. Dragonfly [Live]
15. Look Who's Dancing [Live]

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Ziggy Marley   Primary Artist,Bass,Organ,Piano,Guitar,Keyboards,Percussion
Jake Shimabukuro   Ukulele
Ken Chastain   Percussion
Joel Derouin   Violin
Luis Conte   Percussion
Ross Hogarth   Percussion
Tim Pierce   Guitar
Tommy Barbarella   Fender Rhodes
Brooke Ramel   Vocals (Background)
Dan Warner   Guitar (Acoustic)
Rudy Stein   Cello
Takeshi Akimoto   Guitar
Natasha Pierce   Vocals (Background)
Marc Moreau   Guitar
Suzie Katayama   Conductor
Tracy Wannomae   Horn,Flute
David Ralicke   Horn,Saxophone
Paul Fakhourie   Bass
Michele Richards   Violin
Stephen Marley   Guitar
Tracy Hazzard   Vocals (Background)
Dave Way   Synthesizer

Technical Credits

Wonder Knack   Artwork,Photography
Stephen Marley   Composer
Bob Marley   Composer
Ross Hogarth   Mixing,Engineer,Producer
Brian Malouf   Mixing
Dave Way   Mixing
Gregory Morris   Assistant Engineer
Marc Moreau   Mixing,Engineer
Ziggy Marley   Composer,Producer,Liner Notes
Aaron Fessel   Engineer,Assistant Engineer
Suzie Katayama   String Arrangements
Lior Goldenberg   Assistant Engineer
Gregory J. Morris   Assistant Engineer