It can be difficult to keep track of all the musical offspring of
super-fertile reggae king Bob Marley.
Ziggy, Stephen, Julian, and Damian have each carved out their unique
notches in their reggae family tree. Julian, elder only to Damian,
creates music true to the traditional roots reggae legacy of his father
more so than his siblings but incorporates R&B, hip-hop, and
dancehall elements as well. In sum, accessible to the trimmed and
dreaded alike.
His latest release, 2009's Awake (recorded in Miami and
Kingston),
is filled with spiritually and socially conscious tracks strong enough
to enlighten the sleepiest of dorm room stoners. The production is
polished, placing it on the poppy side of the reggae spectrum. Older
brother Stephen, who is Awake's executive producer, earned two
Grammys
for work on brother Damian's albums, in addition to his four others as
an artist. As a performer, Julian has toured the world with his band the
Uprising. His stop in South Florida this month comes on the heels of
gigs in Australia, Jamaica,
and Los Angeles just this year.
Julian Marley, with Fourth
Dimension and Funk Dirty, at 8 p.m. Friday,
March 26, at the Culture Room, 3045 N. Federal Highway, Fort Lauderdale,
Tickets cost $19.99. 954-564-1074; click here.
